Mumbai: ‘ISI recruiter’ arrested from Jogeshwari

Sayyad, a plumber, actively looked after the affairs of the Masjid. Representation pic

The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) collaborated with its Maharashtra counterpart on Monday to apprehend an alleged recruiter and talent spotter of the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) from Mumbai. The man, identified as Arman Sayyad, 65, and his associate Salman Siddiqui, 24, were taken to UP on transit remand. Residents in Armania Nagar, Jogeshwari East, were taken by surprise at the secretive arrests and had no prior knowledge until it was reported in the media. While they knew little about Sayyad, Siddiqui, who lived in the same area, was unfamiliar to them.

‘He is a do-gooder'

According to a shopkeeper near Sayyad's residence, Armaan was known for his religious devotion and desire to do good for the community. The shopkeeper stated, "As far as I know Armaan, he was a five-time namazi (one who prays five times a day) and always wanted to do good for the community. He would try to resolve conflicts and worked to address issues at the mosque by engaging in conversations with the police and authorities."

The shopkeeper expressed shock at the arrest and believed that the UP police might have misunderstood Armaan's intentions. "Armaan was married twice; one wife is deceased, and the other is suffering from an ailment. His children reside in Uttar Pradesh," revealed a neighbour to mid-day. A member of the Sunni Mohammadi Masjid described Armaan as helpful and cooperative. He said, "Armaan served as the secretary of the Masjid. He was very helpful and cooperative, and despite being a plumber by profession, he actively looked after the affairs of the Masjid."

The Uttar Pradesh ATS had previously asserted that Sayyad was a talent spotter for the ISI and had recruited Mohammed Raees, who was arrested earlier in UP. Subsequently, Raees was allegedly involved in recruiting Salman with the assistance of Sayyad. According to the ATS's claims, Raees and Salman were involved in providing videos and photos of army and defence establishments.

After verifying the facts presented during Raees' interrogation, the Uttar Pradesh ATS team travelled to Mumbai, where both the accused were arrested on July 16. They were presented before the court in Mumbai, and subsequently, brought to Lucknow on transit remand and presented before the court there for judicial custody. "We now have custody of the accused from Mumbai, and are currently investigating his connections with the ISI and other suspected individuals recruited by him," said an officer from the UP ATS on the condition of anonymity.

"To gather detailed information about the other members operating this espionage network and all the accomplices involved in this racket, the ATS has secured their custody, and a thorough interrogation is being conducted. The seized mobile phones and other relevant items from the accused will be sent to the forensic science laboratory to gather complete information about all the wrongdoings related to this network and dismantle it completely," stated the UP ATS in a statement.

65
Age of the accused

With inputs from Faizan Khan