Early Times Report
Jammu, May 29: In a major breakthrough, the police in Kathua have busted an alleged Pakistan-linked network and arrested a man and a woman who were posing as husband and wife. Investigators have also detained another woman from a different state as part of the ongoing probe.
According to police sources, the arrested man has been identified as Rahul Khan, while the woman has been identified as Sapna. Preliminary investigations have revealed suspicious financial transactions amounting to nearly Rs 1 crore in multiple bank accounts allegedly linked to the accused.
Sources said Rahul Khan was arrested from the Lakhanpur area of Kathua district following specific intelligence inputs. His mobile number had reportedly come under surveillance after investigators detected suspicious cross-border communications. During interrogation, police arrested Sapna, who was allegedly associated with him.
Investigators found that Rahul Khan, a driver by profession and originally a resident of the Sujwan area in Jammu, had been frequently changing locations and living in different parts of Kathua district for a considerable period.
During scrutiny of his financial “Rahul Khan’s mobile number had come under surveillance after investigators detected suspicious cross-border communications. During interrogation, police arrested Sapna, who was allegedly associated with him.”
Given the seriousness of the case, the district police have constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by a senior officer of the rank of Superintendent of Police. The SIT includes officers from the police department, including DSP-rank officials and station house officers, to investigate the case in depth.
Police sources said preliminary findings suggest that the accused were allegedly working at the behest of handlers based in Pakistan and were receiving substantial payments in return. Investigators are now examining the wider network and its suspected links with several states, including Uttarakhand, Kerala and Assam.
The police have also conducted raids in the Sujwan area of Jammu in connection with the case. Sources indicated that the investigation may eventually be handed over to the State Investigation Agency considering the suspected cross-border dimensions and multi-state links of the network. | 