The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested journalist Vivek Raghuvanshi and former Navy commander Ashish Pathak for allegedly procuring sensitive defence-related information and sharing it with foreign intelligence agencies, officials alleged on Wednesday, reported PTI.
The central agency has alleged that Raghuvanshi and his family received Rs 3 crore originating from foreign shores.
Both Raghuvanshi and Pathak have been remanded to the agency’s custody for six days by a special CBI court.
Both of them were arrested under Section 3 (spying) of the Official Secrets Act and Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code on Tuesday following raids related to an investigation into the leaks, reported the Hindustan Times. Officials told the newspaper that the arrests could impact India’s ties with some countries.
“The CBI has seized 48 electronic devices, including laptops, tablets, mobile phones, hard disks, and pen drives, belonging to the FIR named accused [Raghuvanshi] and others associated with the said accused, during the searches,” a CBI spokesperson said.
He said that a number of incriminating documents related to Indian defence establishments have also been seized.
The spokesperson said that an analysis of the seized devices shows that Raghuvanshi was collecting confidential information from different sources on defence procurements made by India.
“He was in contact with several foreign entities/agents/persons, and he had entered into contracts/agreements with several foreign entities for sharing of confidential information,” he added. “It was also alleged that the accused and his family members had received a substantial amount from foreign sources.”
The first information report in the case was registered by Delhi Police’s Special Cell, which had been tracking the case since September.
The FIR claimed that a journalist was amassing sensitive information about “future procurement of armed forces which reveal the strategic preparedness of our country’s classified communications/information related to national security, and details of strategic and diplomatic talks of India with our friendly countries, which can spoil the bilateral relations of India with them.”
The CBI then took over the case on directions of the home ministry in December.
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