A special court for NIA cases in Chennai has issued a summons to a 58-year-old Pakistani diplomat, Amir Zubai Siddiqui, as part of the process to declare him a proclaimed offender in a 2014 espionage case. Siddiqui, a key accused in the case, was allegedly an ISI operative posted at the Pakistan High Commission in Colombo, Sri Lanka.The case dates back to 2014, when the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Sakir Hussain, a Sri Lankan national, and his associates Sivabalan and Mohammad Salim. Siddiqui is accused of recruiting Hussain to establish a spy network in India and plan bomb attacks on the US Consulate in Chennai and the Israeli Embassy in Bengaluru.
Following the initial arrests, two other Sri Lankan nationals linked to the ISI, Mohammad Sulaiman and Arun Selvarajan, were also apprehended. While Sakir Hussain became an approver in the case, the others were convicted.
In 2018, another associate, Noorudeen alias Rafi alias Ismail, was arrested and a supplementary chargesheet was filed. In August of this year, a special court found Noorudeen guilty, confirming that Siddiqui had arranged for him to receive fake Indian currency notes. Noorudeen was subsequently sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment.
With Amir Zubai Siddiqui remaining absconding, the special court has now ordered him to appear in person before October 15. According to NIA sources, if he fails to comply with the summons, he will be officially declared a proclaimed offender.
