Pak spy's aides arrested in Lucknow

Three people were arrested here Tuesday for their alleged involvement with suspected Pakistani spy Sayeed Amir Ali, and one of them is believed to be a policeman.

While police officials were unwilling to divulge details of those arrested, informed sources said the policeman was responsible for giving Ali an intelligence clearance that got him an Indian passport.

Ali, arrested from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi Sunday, reportedly procured the passport from the regional passport office in Lucknow on the strength of what turned out to be fake documents.

The other two arrested people were touts at the passport office and the local regional transport office from where Ali obtained his passport and driving licence. They were identified as Arshad and Chand.

The name of the arrested policeman has not been disclosed.

Additional Director General of Police Arvind Kumar Jain, meanwhile, said that Ali's stay in Lucknow was apparently intended to establish a fake identity.

The Pakistani procured a PAN card, a driving licence and a passport from Lucknow.

"He arrived in Lucknow in April 2005 and within a next few days applied for a passport," Jain told IANS.

His police verification was carried out by the local police station as well as the local intelligence unit on June 24. And in the next 12 days he got his passport -- on July 6, 2005.

A Delhi Police team which arrived here Monday has been carrying out investigations at the passport and the transport offices.