Rajasthan govt employee and former assistant to ex-minister detained on spying charges

This comes at a time when security agencies in India have been making a spate of arrests over espionage allegations in the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack and the escalating border tensions between India and Pakistan. The attack, which killed 26 people – including a Nepal citizen – led to India conducting strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan on May 7.

At least 10 people – including a personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force and a travel influencer, Jyoti Malhotra — have been arrested for spying and leaking sensitive information to Pakistan in the aftermath of the strikes and escalating border tensions.

Jaisalmer Superintendent of Police Sudheer Choudhary confirmed Khan’s detention for questioning but added that “further details will be given by the intelligence branch of the state police”.

According to sources, Khan, a resident of Manganiyar’s Dhani in Baroda village near the Pakistan border, has been under the scanner for some time, with his two bank accounts also under police surveillance.

Police sources, meanwhile, said they were investigating people associated with Khan. Calls to the minister have so far gone unanswered.

The detention has sparked a political row, with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party claiming that Khan’s trips to Pakistan “raises some serious questions”. Speaking to the media at Udaipur – where he is visiting — BJP state president Madan Rathore said: “If the PA of a minister, who has much information about the administration and government of the state, travels to the enemy country Pakistan, it is extremely worrying. This can pose a serious threat to the country’s security. We hope that the Congress and its leaders are patriotic”.

The Congress, meanwhile, denies any link between Khan and the minister.

“Sakur Khan is a government employee and on that basis, he was posted as an assistant at the former minister’s home. There is no personal connection between the two. We want the investigation to be fair and if found guilty, then the person should be punished,” Rajasthan Congress spokesperson Swarnim Chaturvedi told Indian Express.

Khan is a resident of Manganiyar’s Dhani in Baroda village near the Pakistan border and authorities have been following him for some time. His two bank accounts are also under surveillance and police are trying to find the link between him and Pakistanis. The crackdown on Indian nationals after the Operation Sindoor for alleged espionage activities has been ongoing nationwide.

He will be moved to Jaipur soon for further investigation, sources said.