Abbas Ali Khan

BHOPAL: Abbas Ali Khan, a Pakistani national who was convicted and jailed for spying, has served his prison term but will continue to be in detention in Gwalior due to the Coronavirus lockdown .

Khan was released from Gwalior jail on Thursday and has been shifted to an undisclosed detention centre where he will spend the rest of his days until papers of his deportation gets cleared by the ministry of home affairs. Officials aren't sure how long he has to be in detention but going by the global situation, it's unlikely he will get home any time soon.

Khan was arrested on March 13, 2006, from Gwalior's Daliawala locality where he was living under the fictitious name 'Madho Singh', say police. He had managed to obtain a driving licence and was planning to marry a local girl. Two Indians -Mohammad Shahid of Bulandshahar in Uttar Pradesh and Ameen Ansari, a Gwalior resident - were arrested for providing logistic support to him.

On May 28, 2008, Khan was sentenced to 14 years in prison by a local court in Gwalior. The two others were convicted under Official Secrets Act 1923 and Foreigners Act, 1946. While Ansari was jailed for 10 years, Shahid was handed a two-year prison term.

The prosecution said that Khan had a valid Pakistani passport (No K224602), dated May 20, 2001, which showed he was a resident of Satellite Town Colony, Police Station City, Rahim-yar-Khan district, in Punjab , Pakistan. He entered India under visa No P 391103, dated April 26, 2005, through Wagah border.

After entering India, he secured a residential permit (Under The Foreigners Order 1948). His visa was valid till August 26, 2005, but he did not. Police informed the court that after expiry of his visa, Khan went into hiding and visited various places in India. He lived in Gwalior as 'Madho Singh, son of Ved Prakash', and even managed to get a forged marksheet, a driving licence and ration card.

Spy had sketched maps of defence organisations

Police say he rented the house of one Barkhoo Dhobi, where he allegedly sketched maps of prohibited defence organizations and sent them to Pakistan. Based on intelligence inputs, the then SHO of Inderganj police station A R Sharma raided the house and arrested Khan. A confidential defence map and other papers were seized from the house say police.

Ali had moved high court a couple of months ago, admitting that he had overstayed in India but denying involvement in any espionage activity.

He also said that during the trial, he was not heard properly.

