The Central Crime Branch (CCB) in Bengaluru on Monday said it had arrested one person in connection with espionage activities in which this individual is suspected to have taken pictures of sensitive installations and shared them with foreign agencies.
“On information of military intelligence, CCB traced and arrested one accused who took photos of vital installations, defence establishments and shared them with foreign agencies,” Joint Commissioner of Police (CCB) Sandeep Patil said in a statement on Monday.
The accused is a native of Rajasthan and a case has been filed under the Official Secrets Act and Indian Penal Code, the official said.
The photos were allegedly taken in other states and not Karnataka. Though the modus operandi of the accused remains unclear or the location from where the photos were taken, a city like Bengaluru has several defence establishments.
Patil, addressing reporters in Bengaluru, said that the person was suspected to have taken pictures of certain defence establishments.
“The suspect was taking certain photographs and other details of certain defence establishments and allegedly sharing with certain foreign entities. So in this regard an FIR has been registered and investigation has been taken up by Bengaluru police,” Patil said.
The suspect was also in possession of a military uniform which he was not authorised to have.
{{/usCountry}}The suspect was also in possession of a military uniform which he was not authorised to have.
{{/usCountry}}“The matter has been taken seriously and a very detailed investigation will be conducted in this regard,” Patil said.
Bengaluru is home to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, labs of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), National Aerospace Laboratories and even the headquarters of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), among other public and private establishments.
Patil refused to divulge more details of the suspect or the complete nature of the offence.