Ex-naval officer could have been lured to Balochistan: govt sources

New Delhi: Kul Bhushan Yadav, who has been arrested by Pakistani agencies claiming he was a RAW spy, was a businessman who owns a small ship, government sources claimed here on Saturday.

Yadav often carries cargo to and from Iranian ports bordering Pakistan and has nothing to do with India's external Intelligence agency, government sources said adding that there was no proof that the retired navy officer, who owns a cargo business in Iran, was arrested in Balochistan as claimed by Pakistan.

Read: India disowns ex-Navy officer arrested in Pakistan

Yadav could have been arrested after he strayed into Pakistani waters and was being wrongly charged, they said.

He owns a small ship and used to carry cargo from Bandar Abbas and Chabahar ports in Iran and other adjoining areas to various destinations, sources said.

It is a matter of investigation whether he accidentally strayed into Pakistani waters or was lured into Pakistan. All these needs to checked and hence India has sought consular access to Yadav but Pakistan so far has not agreed to it, the sources said.

Yesterday, India had acknowledged that the arrested man had served with the navy but denied that Yadav had any connection with the government.

"The individual has no link with government since his premature retirement from Indian Navy," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

Yadav was arrested on Thursday in a raid in Balochistan, Pakistani media said, claiming that the "Indian spy was sponsoring terrorist and subversive activities in Balochistan."

In Islamabad, Indian envoy Gautam Bambawale was summoned by the Pakistani government, which alleged that Yadav had instigated terror attacks in Karachi and unrest in Balochistan.