NIA takes over an alleged spying case from Tamil Nadu cops

NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency has taken over a case of alleged spying, involving a Tamil Nadu resident who is accused of secretly filming sensitive military installations.

Tamil Nadu Police, who arrested Thameen Ansari last September, has alleged that he was to supply the video clippings and other sensitive data to senior Pakistani diplomat Amir Zubair Siddiqui in Colombo. NIA plans to press for access to Siddiqui.

The FIR by NIA said: "The allegations is that he was part of a conspiracy to transmit photographs, video clippings and sketches relating to security of the Willington Military Training Centre at Ooty, Karaikkal and Nagapattinam harbours and Indian Naval base at Mallipattinam to a foreign country."

American double agent-turned Lashkar operative, David Coleman Headley, had similarly filmed secretly locations in Mumbai and supplied the videos to ISI officers in Pakistan, leading to the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai.

Ansari was waylaid by TN Police while he was heading for the Tiruchi to take a flight to Colombo last September. Police claims that Ansari's interrogation revealed that DVDs seized from him were meant to be supplied to Siddiqui, a Pakistan High Commission's Counselor (Visa) in Sri Lanka. Earlier this month, a Madurai bench of the Madras HC had granted bail to Ansari and quashed charges under the National Security Act against him.