'Spy' passes on IAF code to Pak agency

KOLKATA: Air Force corporal Aufan Ukil, arrested on the charge of spying, is believed to have passed on to the ISI a code used by the Air Force in dispatching classified information, according to investigating agencies.
The code, they said, would now have to be changed. Such codes are, however, changed periodically for security reasons.
A map of the Pune Air Force station has also been handed over to the ISI.Aufan, now being interrogated in Delhi, is estimated to have received Rs 70,000-80,000 for his "services". Hasan Ali Biswas, a signal regiment jawan who committed suicide in Rajasthan in July, is believed to have received a similar amount. Intelligence officials are trying to ascertain the amount of information he could have leaked out.
The officials are worried following the disclosure that two other spy rings were functioning in Murshidabad, similar to the one run by arrested spy Ziauddin Ahmed Biswas.
According to Ziauddin''s statement, Rajshahi-based ISI agent Nurul Islam in Bangladesh had set up three parallel spy networks in Murshidabad, one being led by Ziauddin.
The kingpin of another ring, as named by Ziauddin, is now absconding while the leader of the third died about a year ago. Besides Ukil, others with defence connections detained so far include infantry sepoy Nazrul Islam, now posted in Kashmir but belonging to a unit based at Panagarh, and one Jadu, a retired sailor from the Kolkata-based INS Netaji Subhas.
Sleuths are finding it difficult to track down all the service personnel mentioned by the ring members as their units and locations were often not known. An ex-serviceman based in Murshidabad is absconding.
The spies were looking for information such as locations of corps headquarters, missile groups and disposition of divisional headquarters. The nature of their queries indicated that the ISI was interested to know if troops were deployed in offensive or defensive postures during the mobilisation in the western sector earlier this year. They wanted details of troop movement from the eastern to the western sector.
The activities of spies could be traced back to 1994. All the service personnel enlisted by the spy ring had their hometowns in Murshidabad and adjoining Nadia. ISI agents approached them when they came home on leave.
Payments were made in cash. Most of them had visited Dhaka at least once by crossing the border illegally.