Pakistan embassy official told to leave India over spying

New Delhi: India on Thursday asked a Pakistan High Commission staffer here to leave the country immediately over his alleged involvement in a major espionage ring that was busted with the arrest of two Indians working for the ISI.

Vikas Swarup, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, tweeted that Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar summoned Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit "to convey that (a) Pakistan High Commission staffer has been declared persona non grata for espionage activities".

Basit was summoned after Delhi Police said they detained the embassy official, Mehmood Akhtar, for questioning after he was found working for the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and obtaining secret Indian defense related information for Pakistan's spy agency.

Akhtar was let off because of diplomatic immunity, a police officer told IANS on condition of anonymity.

Two Indian nationals, Maulana Ramzan and Subhash Jangir, allegedly working for the ISI, have also been arrested, the officer said.

Both are residents of Rajasthan. Police also released a picture of the two.

The arrests were made late Wednesday night by the interstate cell Crime Branch of Delhi Police following a tip from the Intelligence Bureau, informed sources said.

This is not the first time that employees of the Pakistan High Commission have come under the radar over alleged espionage in India.

Last year, police claimed to have busted an ISI spy ring in the high commission and five persons were arrested.