UP ATS Arrests Ordinance Factory Worker For Sharing Sensitive Information To Pak’s ISI Handler
UP ATS arrested Ravindra Kumar, an ordnance factory worker, for leaking sensitive information to a Pakistani ISI handler.
The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested a worker of an ordinance factory in the Firozabad district for sharing sensitive information with a Pakistani ISI handler, said the officials on Friday.
The agency received inputs that a person named Ravindra Kumar has been sharing sensitive information with his Pak ISI handler. Following this, the Agra unit of the ATS did a preliminary interrogation where it was proved that he shared the confidential information through a handler named Neha, the offical added.
According to Nilabja Choudhary, Additional Director General, UP ATS, the information leaked by Kumar to Pak handler included information like daily production report of the Ordnance Factory where he worked.
"This ISI module has been around for a long time. They trap people and extract information from them, which poses a huge threat to national security," Choudhary said.
"So, while interrogating him, we found out that he shared information with the said handler from time to time, which included the daily production report of the said Ordnance Factory (in which he was working) and the receipt of stores, other documents of criminal circulation, the stock that is about to arrive, the requisition, all were shared," he added.
The ADG also requested, through media, all the sensitive institutions to update their security drills, SOPs, etc.
He also urged the officials of vital installations to maintain a minimum level of security check on their employees "so that such situations can be avoided in future...Further investigation is underway."
Pak Handler Honey Traps Ravindra Kumar
The accused had become friends with a woman named Neha Sharma whom he met on Facebook. However, she was actually an agent of Pakistan's intelligence agency. The two exchanged WhatsApp chats, audio, and video calls and gradually, she trapped Ravindra. She began asking for confidential information from the ordnance factory. Tempted by greed, Ravindra sent her the factory's secret documents.
Following his arrest, several confidential documents were found on his phone, including the factory's production report (related to drones and other defence equipment), files of confidential meetings (which contained discussions of the Indian Army and officials), the government factory's stock list, and unauthorized copies of sensitive documents.
The police seized his mobile phone, Aadhaar card, voter ID, PAN card, ATM card, and Rs 6,220 in cash.
Ravindra Kumar has been arrested under the Official Secrets Act of 1923 and other relevant sections and will be presented in court.
(With inputs from Vivek Rai and Shivank Mishra)
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