The CBI on Wednesday said it has arrested freelance journalist Vivek Raghuvanshi and former Navy Commander Ashish Pathak for allegedly collecting sensitive information on Defence matters and passing them on to foreign Intelligence agencies.
The agency produced Raghuvanshi and Pathak before a special CBI court which granted six-day CBI custody of the duo.
“It was also alleged that the accused and his associate (ex-Navy commander Pathak), presently working with a (private) firm, were in possession of classified secret documents related to Indian defence establishments,” the CBI said in a statement.
On Tuesday, the CBI conducted searches at around 15 locations in the National Capital Region (NCR) and at Jaipur. CBI has seized 48 electronic devices including laptops, tablets, mobile phones, hard disks and pen drives belonging to the FIR-named accused and others associated with the said accused, during searches,” the CBI said.
“Besides, a number of incriminating documents relating to Indian defence establishments, have also been seized. The data stored in cloud based accounts / emails / social media accounts belonging to the accused/ others have also been recovered by digital forensic experts of CBI,” it said.
The agency further said, “The scrutiny of devices recovered so far from the possession of accused also revealed that the accused was allegedly collecting confidential information related to India’s Defence procurement from different sources and was in contact with several foreign Entities / Agents / Persons, and that he had entered into contracts/agreements with several foreign entities for sharing of confidential information. It was also alleged that the accused and his family members had received substantial amounts (of money) from foreign sources.”
The CBI took over the probe from the Delhi Police Special Cell, which was on the trail of Raghuvanshi since September last year, after getting information that some Indian journalists were collecting and passing on such information to foreign intelligence agencies having potential to disturb relations with friendly countries.
The information received by the Special Cell suggested that a journalist was illegally collecting “sensitive details” 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...” reads the FIR.
According to the Special Cell’s FIR, Raghuvanshi allegedly procured and supplied such information to Intelligence agencies of foreign countries.
The CBI took over the case on December 9 last year and re-registered the FIR against Raghuvanshi on a directive from the Union Home Ministry.
After a detailed background check and maintaining surveillance, the CBI on Tuesday carried out the searches on multiple locations on Tuesday.
A number of incriminating documents relating to Indian defence establishments have also been seized, officials said.
Raghuvanshi, who is listed as India correspondent of a US-based portal on defence and strategic affairs on its website, was then taken into custody along with Pathak.
In its FIR registered on December 9, the CBI had booked Raghuvanshi under Section 3 (spying) of the Official Secrets Act and under Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The CBI had booked Raghuvanshi on the allegations that he was involved in the illegal collection of sensitive information including the minute details of the DRDO defence projects and their progress, sensitive details about the future procurement of Indian armed forces which reveal the strategic preparedness of country’s classified communications/ information relating to national security, details of the strategic and diplomatic talks of India with our friendly countries and sharing such classified information with intelligence agencies of foreign countries.
