Amid the tight security arrangements made by the Delhi Police for the Republic Day celebrations, the Crime Branch has arrested a woman named Asima Begum on suspicion of espionage. To evade police checks, this woman would travel around various embassies and high-security areas in an Innova car fitted with a forged number plate of a foreign embassy. Two more forged foreign embassy number plates have been recovered from her car. The accused woman has been identified as Asima Begum from Guwahati, Assam.
Investigation Into Potential Anti-National Links
With Republic Day approaching, the woman's arrest has alerted security agencies and she is being questioned to determine if she is involved in anti-national activities on Republic Day through contact with Pakistan or other foreign entities. During questioning, she claimed to have worked as a consultant at a foreign embassy for one year in 2023-24. According to Deputy Commissioner Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, the team had received information that a woman frequently visits the embassies of various countries in New Delhi and also uses a car with a fake embassy number plate.
Police Trap And Apprehension In Vasant Vihar
Based on the information, a team was formed under the supervision of ACP Pankaj Arora and led by Inspector Dalip Kumar. The team laid a trap in B Block, Vasant Vihar. The woman was apprehended at around 3:10 pm. During questioning, she was unable to produce the vehicle's ownership documents. Initially, she presented herself as a representative of a foreign embassy but could not name it.
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Confession Regarding Forged Plates And Vehicle Ownership
Upon stricter questioning, she revealed that she was using a fake foreign embassy number plate on the car. She also stated that she had bought the Innova car from a foreign embassy in November 2024. The embassy had filed a complaint against her at the Chanakya Puri police station for not registering the vehicle in her name. Therefore, she removed that embassy's number plates and had fake ones made so that she could avoid police checks at various places and easily visit different embassies.
Claims Of Political And Professional Background
The woman claimed that she has been the All-India Secretary of a political party for the past four years. She also claimed to have worked as a consultant at a foreign embassy for one year in 2023-24, receiving Rs 150,000 per month. In addition, she stated that she used to work as a sports guide at the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya, for which she was paid. Following her arrest, she has been remanded in police custody for six days. Her mobile phone has been seized.