Two Indian Army personnel and a driver employed by the Pakistan High Commission have allegedly been found involved in two espionage rackets run at the behest of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
The Armymen — Anil Kumar Dubey and Ritesh Kumar Vishwakarma — have been charged under the Official Secrets Act after they were caught passing defence secrets to their Pakistani handlers. The Pakistani driver, Mohammed Farooq, has been handed over to the Pakistan High Commission mission through the Ministry of External Affairs. During interrogation, Farooq had said he is an ISI agent posted in Delhi. He is a resident of Bhillomar village in Pakistan.
A Special Cell officer said the two spying rackets are unrelated and involves different ISI handlers.
Late on Friday night, Dubey, posted with the Army Group Insurance Directorate, had gone to meet Farooq in Mahipalpur. Farooq had come in his official car to the Grand Hotel in Vasant Kunj. He had parked the vehicle there and taken an autorickshaw to Mahipalpur.
“We had information that some defence secrets would be given to Farooq. A trap was laid near Holi Chowk, Mahipalpur and both arrested,” said a senior police officer.
Dubey was caught handing over documents, pen drives and CDs to Farooq. From Farooq, an ID card — which proved that he was an employee of the Pakistan High Commission — and a fake driving license was recovered.
“Dubey had been in touch with Farooq for several months and was being paid well. He has revealed that this is not the first time he handed over defence documents for money to Farooq. It appears he was being cultivated for a bigger job by the ISI,” the officer said.
In another case, Special Cell officers arrested Ritesh Kumar Vishwakarma, a signalman posted with 15 CASSU Unit and temporarily attached with 14 COSR on Saturday.
Vishwakarma had taken a 10-day leave to go home. His destination was actually Kathmandu, where he was to deliver the documents to his ISI contacts.
Police had information that Vishwakarma would be arriving in Delhi by a Jet Airways flight from Leh. He was arrested at the airport. He was found carrying a pen drive and defence documents. According to the police, he had said that he had met his ISI handlers in Kathmandu and had undertaken jobs for them earlier as well.
“He had been to Kathmandu in December 2005 and then again in May and August this year. He confessed that he had taken Rs 15,000 on one occasion and Rs 20,000 on another,” said a senior Special Cell officer.