Man who claimed to be ISI agent, mentally ill, lied to seek asylum in India: report

New Delhi: Ahmed Mohammed, 38, who had turned up at the Delhi airport on April 28 and claimed to be a spy for Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), made up the story to get asylum in India, government officials said on Saturday.

Indian officials sought information from sources in Dubai and other friendly intelligence sources to ascertain the veracity of Mohammed's claims, Hindustan Times reported.

"He is basically a bookie. He was a cloth trader till 2015, and is only a 10th pass,” one Intelligence Bureau (IB) source told HT.

"He is under medication for neurological problems following an accident seven months ago. He talks of illusions and does not seem to be an agent in any way," he added.

It was also reported that Mohammed held a Pakistani passport, which showed his date of birth as July 9, 1978 and that he is a resident of Gulshan Colony, Faisalabad, in Pakistan.

Muhammad Ahmad Sheikh Muhammad Rafiq, a Pakistani passport holder, approached a help desk at the Indira Gandhi International Airport and told an official at the counter that he wanted to share information about Pakistan's intelligence agency, Inter-Service Intelligence or ISI.

Although there have been situations where foreign spies had approached Indian missions abroad. But Mohammed is not in violation of any law in India.

"Normally in the intelligence world, we look for his utility and once his bona fides are established, we offer him a new identity, citizenship and security," a senior intelligence official, who had worked for the Pakistan desk told HT.

This situation sent the Indian intelligence agencies in a tizzy, since none of these situation apply to Mohammed.

This incident occurred shortly after Pakistan sentenced the alleged Indian spy, Kulbhushan Jadhav to death for espionage. India has denied all charges.