Assam, Tripura police to jointly probe ISI activities

AGARTALA - The police in Assam and Tripura are jointly probing the activities of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency in northeast India following the arrest of a suspected ISI agent last month, officials said here Tuesday.

“A five-member police team of Assam came here Monday to take ISI agent Manir Khan alias Omar Ashraf, 30, and his Indian associates to Guwahati for further interrogation,” a police official told reporters.

Manir and six of his associates were arrested by the Tripura police in Agartala July 3.

Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Tridib Chandra Roy Bhowmik Monday granted the Assam police a transit remand of Manir and his associates and directed the police to present before the Kamrup district CJM court within 30 days.

The police official said: “The Assam police are taking the ISI agent and his associates to Guwahati for further questioning and probe in connection with some cases in Assam.”

“We are also sharing information gathered by the Tripura police during cross-examination of the detainees and subsequent probe with our Assam counterparts,” the police official added.

“During questioning, Manir disclosed significant facts and the future ISI plans in the northeast and other parts of India. After his disclosure, a Tripura police team was sent to Guwahati (in Assam),” Deputy Superintendent of Police Harimohan Das told IANS.

“Getting some clues from Manir, Assam police arrested an ISI associate, Bikram Das, from Guwahati last month,” Das said.

Manir, according to police, entered western Tripura from Bangladesh early last month and visited Guwahati and other cities of the northeast to broaden ISI’s network.

Another police official said that Manir, a Pakistani national, had received training in ISI camps at Multan and Bhawalpur in Pakistan.