Bhubaneswar, September 15: A day after four contractual staff of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at Chandipur in Balasore district were arrested by the district for allegedly sharing classified defence secrets to foreign agents, who are suspected to be from Pakistan, Odisha Crime Branch (CB) has taken over the probe process, informs CB on Wednesday.
The Crime Branch took over the probe following the direction of Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) Abhay. A four-member is probing the team led by Additional SP Prasant Kumar Bisoyi.
“As per the order of @DGPOdisha, the Crime Branch will take over the investigation of Chandipur PS Case No. 76/2021. A four member probing team headed by Addl SP Prasant Ku. Bisoyi is heading to @SPBalasore to take charge of investigation,” tweeted the Crime Branch.
The four contractual staff was working as lower-rung contractual employees of the DRDO at the Chandipur ITR. Acting on credible intelligence inputs, Balasore police came to know that the four persons wrongfully and purposely shared classified defence secrets to foreign agents, appearing to be Pakistani agents.
The accused also contacted the foreign agents from different phone numbers and received huge money.
The accused, who identities were not disclosed by the police, were booked under Sections 120-B (punishment for criminal conspiracy), 121-A (conspiracy to wage a war against India) and 34 (act done with common intention) of the IPC and Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act.
This is the second time such a case of espionage surfaced at the Chandipur Integrated Test TlRange (ITR). One Iswar Chandra Behera, a former DRDO employee, was arrested on January 23, 2015, by Odisha police for allegedly spying for a foreign agent. He was awarded life imprisonment in February this year.
