Representational image | Photo Credit: BCCL

Key Highlights M Rashid had reportedly been clicking pictures of Army installations and sending them to Pakistan Rashid had also done recce of CRPF installations The accused had been sharing information with his handlers since March 2019

Varanasi: Three days after a joint team of Military Intelligence and Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested an Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agent from Chandauli district, it emerged on Thursday that some of the WhatsApp groups on the accused’s phone apparently belong to the sleeping module of terror groups.

The accused has been identified as M Rashid.

"We are now trailing these numbers to other WhatsApp groups and some of these numbers are from Jaipur, Jodhpur and Mumbai," an official said.

Eight companies, including Intelligence Bureau, Military Intelligence, and anti-terrorism squads of different states, besides the UP ATS, have been grilling Rashid.

ATS officers are certain of tracking others involved with the ISI agent soon. Anti-terrorism squads and high-security agencies of other states have been apprised of the information in this regard.

During his grilling, Rashid said that since he was not earning well by working on flex-signboards, he agreed to do the job offered to him by his Pakistan handlers.

He added that he was assured by his handlers that he would not be arrested if he used WhatsApp to pass on any information to them or others in the business.

It has also surfaced that Rashid (23) had been speaking rather often with a Pakistani journalist. The audio clips found in his phone prove this.

As per Rashid, he met the Pakistani journalist in Karachi in 2018. He, however, claimed that the journalist did not seek any confidential images, data, or movies from him.

An earlier report had said that the accused had been sharing information with his handlers since March 2019. As per ATS officials, Rashid had been clicking pictures of Army installations and sending them to Pakistan. He had also done recce of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) installations.

ATS officials added that Rashid also admitted that he had received training in Pakistan two times.

In July 2019, the military intelligence had received a tip-off that a man from Varanasi is using WhatsApp to hand over crucial information to Pakistani Intelligence agencies.

Rashid was finally arrested on Sunday.