Mumbai court jails ISI agent for seven years

Mumbai  :  A court here Monday convicted a spy to seven years jail for allegedly supplying military and strategic secrets to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Javed Abdul Ghafoor Mozawala was found guilty of supplying sensitive information pertaining to the Western Naval Command in Mumbai, Indian Navy facilities in Mumbai and Lonavala, the Koyna Dam in Satara and the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, among other things.

Additional Sessions Judge Vrushali Joshi found Mozawala (28) guilty under sections of the Official Secrets Act, but did not find him guilty of to criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code, said Mozawala’s lawyer Shahid Ansari, providing free legal aid through NGO Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra.

“The accused was actually working as a visa agent, but the investigators have declared him as an ISI agent. He used to arrange for visas for Indians through the Pakistan high commission. Even many of his family members are settled in that country. We shall appeal against the judgement,??? Ansari said.

The prosecution said that Mozawala had carried out a recce of important and sensitive locations in and around Mumbai and gathered full information which could be targeted by militants.

It filed a 550-page-long charge sheet against Mozawala in March 2011, after which the trial was conducted on a daily basis.

During the trial, the court examined officials of the external affairs ministry, Mumbai Police and other witnesses, said Ansari.

As the verdict was pronounced, Mozawala who standing in the witness box broke down and collapsed even as his ailing mother, wife and children cried.

Later, they claimed before media persons that Mozawala was innocent as the evidence presented by police was available on the internet and alleged he was framed by the authorities.