The couple, who have been now been deported, were meeting with locals through their handlers and also gathering data and material regarding the country, reports Vicky Nanjappa
Investigations have revealed that the Israeli couple who were picked for suspicious activities by the police in Kochi, Kerala, was trying to collect material against the government.
However, the duo had to be deported as they enjoyed international immunity, said sources in the central intelligence agency. "Their deportation does not mean that they were not involved in anything suspicious, but it had to be done only because they had international immunity," the sources also added.
The police and the Intelligence Bureau have in their custody a local handler who was helping the couple during their stay since March 3, 2010. Investigators say that they were working undercover since then and were gathering information related to the government. There is also suspicion that they may have been trying to tap into the sensitivities of the state and rake up trouble in a bid to destabilise the establishment. However, this fact has not been confirmed as yet and more details will emerge only after the interrogation of their local handler.
The couple Shneor Zalman and Yaffa Shenoi was in India on a multiple entry visa and were residing at Rose Street in Fort Kochi. They were paying a huge rent of Rs 50,000 per month, which police say is higher than the usual rent that is paid in the area. The police and the IB now believe that there could be more such Israeli spies in Kerala and also other parts of the country who could be carrying out similar activities.
The couple's financial transactions are under the scanner and the police say that they have managed to get hold of the couple's financial details.
IB sources say that the couple was under the scanner for a very long time. "It was found that they were meeting with locals through their handlers and also gathering data and material regarding the country. The material that has been collected and also passed to their home country is under investigation. However, the IB says that there has not been any major compromise in national security and these were spies on a specific mission.
The deportation of the couple was inevitable as they enjoyed international immunity. Also, the lady was unwell, as a result of which they had to be deported. Fort Kochi has been an attraction for tourists -- Jews in particular -- considering that they had set up a major trading outpost and also had built a famous synagogue way back in the year 1568.
