Indian-origin Natasha Singh, 40, presently settled in Oakland, California had come to India a month ago and has been in Darjeeling since a week. Four days ago, she paid a visit to Mesho Souria, one of the five suspected ISI agents arrested by the Darjeeling police in May, at the correctional home.
“Singh has violated visa conditions on two counts. Rules for foreign nationals visiting the country on a tourist visa do not permit them to work in India. She has also been found guilty of visiting a prisoner accused in a high-profile case. On both counts, Singh has not notified her presence in Darjeeling to the foreigners’ registration office,” said Darjeeling SP Kunal Agarwal.
According to the officer, Singh had got in contact with Souria’s sister, who is working for an NGO in Panighatta, as she had also started working for the same NGO and was lodged in a hotel in town. “We issued the ‘Quit India’ notice to Singh today and she has already left for Delhi to catch the flight back to the US,” said the SP. Souria is the second agent along with Maghan Bahadur Singh and three linkmen, namely Dhan Bahadur Pradhan, Gopal Kahti and Mani Kumar Biswakama, arrested from different places under the Kurseong sub-division.
Acting on information provided by BK Sinha, another ISI agent who was arrested in Jaipur, the Darjeeling police had got hold of the five accused.
The police have said Souria was involved in smuggling earlier but had given up that activity after he became recruited as an ISI operative. He is accused of transferring sensitive documents and information to Nepal-based ISI agents since the past three years. When asked how the American has managed to meet the suspected ISI agent at the correctional home, the SP said, “We have not got full information on the matter yet, but Singh could have most likely posed as a relative. During her interrogation, Singh said she had visited Souria as a goodwill gesture.”(EOIC)
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