Rajasthan police arrest Shakur Khan on espionage charges for Pakistan

A Rajasthan government employee who was earlier detained on suspicion of espionage for Pakistan has now been arrested, the police said on Tuesday.

Shakur Khan, an Assistant Administrative Officer (AAO) posted at the Jaisalmer employment office had allegedly been passing sensitive, strategic information to Pakistan, they said.

The government employee had been under surveillance for suspicious activities over an extended period.

During monitoring, agencies discovered that he was in regular contact with individuals linked to the Pakistan High Commission, particularly Ahsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish and Sohail Qamar, Inspector General (CID-Security) Vishnu Kant Gupta said.

"Khan was taken into custody for questioning a few days ago and was interrogated extensively at the central interrogation facility in Jaipur by multiple intelligence agencies," Gupta said in a statement.

He further shared that Khan had obtained Pakistani visas on several occasions and travelled to Pakistan, allegedly with the assistance of Danish.

Investigations revealed that during his visits, Khan came in contact with agents of Pakistan's spy agency ISI.

He has also been accused of collecting sensitive information upon return to India and transmitting it to Pakistani handlers through platforms such as WhatsApp.

Gupta noted that the case constitutes a serious security breach under the Official Secrets Act, 1923. "A case has been registered, and Khan has been arrested under relevant sections of the Act," he said.

While the police declined to comment on Khan's alleged political links, sources said he had previously worked as a personal assistant (PA) to former Congress minister Shale Mohammad, a detail that recently sparked political controversy.