rawalpindi - The law-enforcement agencies have rounded up an alleged Afghan spy from Taxila, well-placed sources confided to The Nation yesterday.

The accused, identified as Noor Agha son of Abdul Ghaffar, had been running a grocery shop in a bid to throw mud into eyes of intelligence agencies, the sources said. They said that the suspect also possesses Pakistani fake computerised national identity card (CNIC), besides Afghan cards, which were also seized.

The law-enforcement agencies shifted the man to an unknown location for further investigation.

According to sources, the officials of LEAs carried out a raid at Sher Shah Soori Road and apprehended a suspect Noor Agha who was once part of Afghan National Army. The accused had been running a grocery store in Taxila since long.

Source informed that it was disclosed during initial interrogation that Noor Agha had served Afghan National Army from 2012 to 2015. They added that the man left the army and moved to Pakistan where he started residing in Mohalla Mashriqiya Abad of Taxila. Later he managed to obtain fake CNIC from NADRA.

The sources said that the law-enforcement agencies have started investigations to check possible links of Noor Agha with Afghan National Directorate of Security.

Sources said that Noor might be involved in spying of sensitive areas like Taxila and Wah Cannt.

SP Potohar Division Muhammad Ateeque Tahir was not available for his comments on the issue.

This is not the first arrest of an Afghan army officer. Earlier, on May 26, security agencies have arrested six militants belonging to Afghanistan’s intelligence agency, who were involved in various acts of terrorism on Pakistani soil, from Pishin area of Balochistan.

Balochistan Home Ministry has claimed that arrested spies were involved in subversive activities in the province, including targeted killings. The provincial ministry lashed out at Afghan intelligence agency – National Directorate of Security – for deceiving Pakistan.

Earlier in April, an officer of the Afghan intelligence agency was arrested near Chaman border crossing in Balochistan.

The provincial ministry had said the Afghan officer named Rozi Khan — reportedly a second lieutenant in the intelligence unit of the Afghan army — was arrested by Federal Intelligence Agency (FIA) officials in Chaman over charges of crossing the border without possessing any authentic travel documents to enter into Pakistan.

Separately, the special investigation unit (SIU) of Islamabad police has busted a four-member Afghan gang of bike-lifters and recovered two motorcycles as well as weapons from them, a police spokesman said yesterday.

According to details, SP Investigation Muhammad Ilyas assigned task to In-charge ACLC Insp Fayaz Ranjha to trace motorcycle-lifters and overcome crime of bike-lifting.

On his directions, a special team was constituted which apprehended a gang of four Afghans from `Naka Chambeli Road’ in sector I-10/2 and recovered two motorcycles as well as three pistols from them. A case has been registered against them at Sabzi Manid police station and further investigation is under way.

All nabbed persons belong to Bagram, Afghanistan, and have been identified as Nusrat Khan son of Olia Gul, Abdul Haq son of Noor Agha, Idrees son of Zahir Shah, and Nisar Ahmed son of Abdul Qadeem.

They were previously challaned in different police stations of Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Attock districts and also remained in jail.