The IB sprang into action. So did RAW. The central outfits interrogated both Mariam Rasheeda and Fauziya Hassan on 16 October and 19 October. After the second round of interrogation was over, the Inspector tried to contact the correspondent of Indian Communicator who had filed the story about drug trafficking. When he couldn’t find him, he contacted his journalist friend in Thaniniram, an eveninger, and leaked the news about a spy who had come to destroy India. He also gave an anonymous call to Desabhimani.
Once the story was set, Vijayan informed the Police Commissioner that the press had come to know of Mariam’s detention. The Commissioner rang up R.B. Sreekumar, Deputy Director (IB), who told him that IB couldn’t get anything incriminating from her. The Commissioner suggested that he could book her on grounds of overstay so that IB would get more time for further probe, and it was acceptable to Sreekumar. The Commissioner gave directions to Vijayan to arrest Mariam the next day. It was on 20 October 1994.
Oblivious of the plot, Mariam telephoned Inspector Vijayan to find out whether her papers were ready. He asked her to come to his office at 4 p.m. By that time, the eveninger had flashed the news of her arrest. Only she didn’t know it!
She waited in front of the office when the photographer of Desabhimanislowed his motorcycle in front of her and clicked a snap. Vijayan then called her in. He asked her to remove her ornaments and told her that she was under arrest. From there she was taken to Vanchiyoor Police Station where her arrest was officially made. She was then taken to the women’s cell.
The next day, Desabhimani flashed its scoop. Police have arrested a foreign defence officer on a mission to spy on India’s PSLV technology. The Maldivian woman, Mariam, is a high-profile secret agent in the National Security Service. She had been in constant touch with a senior ISRO scientist and had contacted him thirteen times over the phone. The police have been closely monitoring the activities of foreigners following a report in this daily, a few days back, that foreign spies are having a free hand in the city. Meanwhile, Inspector Vijayan prepared a report in Malayalam and got the draft corrected with the City Police Commissioner based on which the Commissioner sent a confidential letter to the DGP. As per the confidential letter that became the genesis of the police version of Mariam’s arrest, this is how Inspector Vijayan first met Mariam: Since it was felt necessary to have some sort of watch over the movements of these Maldivian nationals, special instructions were given to the City Special Branch staff to form a special cell and verify hotel registers periodically. As part of such verification, on 15.10.94, the officers of the City Special Branch visited different hotels, lodging, etc., in Thiruvananthapuram City. Vijayan, Special Branch Inspector, noticed that a lady named Mariam, holder of Maldivian passport No. A- 080493, was residing in Room No 205 in Hotel Samrat at Thakaraparambu Road, East Fort, Thiruvananthapuram. Another Maldivian woman, Fauziya Hassan, holder of Maldivian Passport No. 057394 was also found staying in the same room…
The Commissioner’s letter is silent about Mariam’s first visit to the inspector’ office on 8 October 1994 since he was relying on a note submitted to his office by the inspector himself, who deliberately didn’t mention anything about the meeting.
Inspector Vijayan gave another version of the whole episode in his report sent to Thampi S. Durgadatt, Sub-Inspector (SI), Vanchiyoor Police Station, requesting him to record Mariam’s arrest. So, the arrest report, produced before the Additional CJM court on 21 October 1994 was in line with this new version. It reads: Inspector Vijayan, through some sources, came to know that Mariam was in constant touch with scientists who are connected with the defence of India. On enquiry, he understood that she had shifted from Hotel Samrat to a rented house. On 20 October ’94, he went to the house and cerified her passport. He found her overstaying since 14 October. As she had violated Rule 7 of the Foreigners Order, 1948, and Section 14 of the oreigners Act, 1946, she was detained in the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of the country, and later arrested. Vijayan presented ISRO as a defence organisation to prevent any possible counter-allegation from Mariam regarding his misbehaviour. He was sure any such allegation would become a damp squib if Mariam was presented as a spy who had come to destabilise the sovereignty and integrity of India.
The excerpt is from ‘Classified: Hidden Truths in the ISRO Spy Story’ (published by Srishti Publishers).