Detained Indian spy's complacency led to his arrest: report

Senior officers from India's central intelligence believe Yadhav's phone calls to his family in Marathi gave him...

Detained Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav’s complacency led to his arrest from Balochistan’s Chaman, senior officers from India's central intelligence disclosed to Ahmedabad Mirror.

The intelligence officials claimed that after 14 years of working in the region, Yadhav “had become a bit complacent.”

The government on Tuesday released a video showing the Indian navy officer confessing he had been working for the Research and Analysis Wing to carry out subversive activities in Balochistan and Karachi.

“It is suspected his phone was on surveillance by the Pakistani agencies and those who were monitoring his communications found something amiss and out of character as Yadhav is alleged to be operating under the cover of a Muslim businessman,” the report said.



“Yadhav's habit of speaking to his family in Marathi and with extreme familiarity and comfort level in the language betrayed his cover as his passport identifies him as Husain Mubarak Patel; but his mannerisms were nothing like that of a Muslim Patel,” it added.

Patel's passport was apparently issued from Thane Regional Passport Office (RPO) showing his birth place as Sangli, Maharashtra.

However, Thane police commissioner Paran Bir Singh said, "We have tried to establish the veracity of Patel's passport and found that it was not issued from our RPO.”

"No police verification report was ever submitted by Thane police. In all probability it could be a bogus passport," he added.



Yadhav, who last visited Mumbai some four months back, was under watch by the Pakistani agencies during his movements in Iranian cities in the course of his work, his close friends from Mumbai police told Ahmedabad Mirror.

Yadhav’s family was not in contact with him since February leading to suspicions that he was in the custody of Pakistan for a while now.

Two other local contacts supposed to provide back-up assistance to Yadhav are also reportedly missing for over a month.

Both the Indian contacts are inaccessible and have probably gone underground or are on the run unless they have already been arrested and thrown behind bars, officers from the Mumbai police disclosed.

This article originally appeared on Ahmedabad Mirror.