Police in the Indian city of Pune deported an Iranian last month after they
discovered him spying on Israelis and Jewish institutions in the city, The Pune
Mirror reported on Thursday.
According to the report, 40-year-old Hamid
Kashkouli, an Iranian PhD student at the University of Pune, was spying on the
Chabad House in the city’s Koregaon Park region and the Rasta Peth Synagogue,
also in the city.
Kashkouli was on the payroll of the Iranian
intelligence agency, according to the report.
“He came to India under the
pretext of being a student but was keeping a close eye on the Jewish centers in
Pune,” the Mirror quoted a police official as saying. “He had collected
information about visitors’ movements at the Chabad House and the synagogue,
which he forwarded to intelligence officials in Tehran.”
Kashkouli’s
repeated trips to the Iranian Consulate in Mumbai roused the suspicions of the
police. His driver was also detained, and told police that Kashkouli was
employed by the Iranian government and was often visited in Pune by top Iranian
government officials.
Police intercepted email messages from Kashkouli
that proved he was an undercover Iranian agent monitoring the movements of Jews
in Pune. He was also in contact with Iranian nationals in Delhi, according to
the Mirror.