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Kolkata STF arrests man for leaking classified information to suspected Pak agent
Police said they have found multiple pictures, videos and online chats on his mobile, which were shared with the suspected Pakistani intelligence operative
Kolkata Police Special Task Force (STF) sleuths on Friday arrested a man on charges of passing confidential information related to India’s defence sector and vital installations in Delhi to a suspected Pakistani intelligence operative, officials aware of the matter said.
“One Bhakt Banshi Jha, 36, has been arrested from Kolkata on Friday. He fell prey to a honey-trap laid by Pakistani intelligence operatives based in Islamabad and had shared information on defence and other vital installations in the National capital,” said a senior officer of the STF.
The accused has been booked under various sections of the Official Secrets Act and the Indian Penal Code. He was produced before the court and sent to police custody till September 6.
A resident of Darbhanga in Bihar, Jha had stayed in Delhi from December 2022 till around April this year. He was working with a logistics company. He had some problems with his employer and left the job. He then shifted to Kolkata, where he has been working with a courier company, said officials.
According to officials, Jha met with a woman on social media who introduced herself as Arushi Sharma, a resident of Amritsar in Punjab. After some days of messaging on the social networking site, they exchanged mobile numbers and made video calls.
“The woman told the Jha that her sister was a defence journalist and needed some information on defence installations. He was asked to download an app. Pictures of vital and military installations taken through that app automatically shared the coordinates with the Pakistani intelligence operative,” said the senior officer mentioned above.
Police have recovered many photographs, videos, and online chats from the accused’s mobile.
“When we traced the numbers from which he received calls and messages we found it was based in Islamabad in Pakistan,” said a police officer.
