NIA interrogates Kolkata businessman for allegedly funding Pakistani spy

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is closely interrogating Kolkata-based businessman Masood Alam, who is accused of sending suspicious funds to a Pakistani spy under the garb of a tour and travel agency. This funding allegedly reached a CRPF soldier, Moti Ram Jat, who was recently arrested for leaking sensitive national security information to Pakistan.

According to sources, Masood's answers have so far lacked clarity, raising more questions than they answered. After a round of questioning on Monday, he was again summoned to the NIA office in New Town on Tuesday, where he was grilled for several hours into the evening.

Investigators revealed that funds transferred through Masood’s travel agency reportedly landed with Moti Ram Jat — a soldier who has now been arrested for espionage. The agency suspects these money transfers were part of a larger anti-national conspiracy. The transactions included ₹13,000, ₹22,000, and ₹5,000, sent on three separate occasions.

When questioned about the purpose of these payments, Masood failed to provide a satisfactory answer. He vaguely claimed that someone had asked him to forward the money to Moti Ram but could not identify who the person was, when he was approached, or how much was initially handed to him. His lack of memory has raised serious red flags.

The NIA has now demanded records of the bank accounts and individuals through which these transactions were conducted. They aim to uncover whether this money trail was being recorded, how long it had been operational, and whether a larger network is behind these acts.

The agency's scope of investigation has widened to include two more individuals: businessman Mohammad Ijaz from Kidderpore and hotel worker Mohammad Vakil from the Topsia area. Ijaz did not appear for questioning on Tuesday, but Vakil’s statement was recorded. Vakil, who had been living outside Kolkata for the last 20 years, recently returned and is working at a local hotel while staying temporarily in the Rajabazar area.

Sources say Vakil’s name surfaced during interrogation of other accused in the nationwide espionage network. The NIA is now mapping Vakil’s previous locations before returning to Kolkata and identifying individuals he had been in contact with, to further untangle the suspected intelligence web.