NEW DELHI, Aug 22: The CBI has arrested a Canada-based businessman in connection with a defence espionage case in which a journalist and a former Navy commander were held in May, officials said on Tuesday.
Rahul Gangal, the businessman who took Permanent Residency in Canada in 2019 and also worked in a multi-national corporation, arrived in India last week, they said.
The probe agency received information about Gangal’s arrival and located his place of stay in Delhi. He was arrested from there on Monday evening, the CBI spokesperson said.
“Investigation conducted earlier had revealed that the accused had allegedly transmitted sensitive defence document to other accused (a journalist who was arrested in this case on May 17, 2023),” the spokesperson said in a statement.
According to officials, a special court on Monday sent Gangal to CBI custody for four days.
“Searches were conducted at the premises of the accused which led to recovery of incriminating documents and digital devices. Scrutiny of these documents and devices revealed the possession and sharing of incriminating secret documents by him with the other accused (a journalist),” the spokesperson said.
The probe agency had earlier arrested freelance journalist Vivek Raghuvanshi and former Navy commander Ashish Pathak, who was working for a private company, for allegedly collecting sensitive information on defence matters and passing them on to foreign intelligence agencies.
The CBI was on the trail of suspects based in India and abroad since the arrest of Pathak and Raghuvanshi, officials said.
During the probe, several incriminating documents relating to Indian defence establishments, have also been seized, the spokesperson said.
“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,” he said.
In its charge sheet filed before a special court here last month, the CBI accused Raghuvanshi and Pathak of violating the Official Secrets Act and related offences, the officials said.
Raghuvanshi and Pathak were arrested on May 17 and are in judicial custody.
Following the registration of the case, a CBI spokesperson had said, “It was alleged that the accused (Raghuvanshi) and his associate (Pathak) who is presently working with a (private) firm, were in possession of classified secret document related to Indian defence establishments.”
The CBI took over the probe from the Delhi Police’s Special Cell, which was tracking Raghuvanshi since September last year when it registered an FIR against him.
The CBI registered the case on December 9, 2022.
Raghuvanshi was allegedly collecting sensitive information and minute details about the progress of various DRDO projects, the CBI said.
He was also collecting details of future procurement plans of Indian armed forces which could have adversely affected the country’s strategic preparedness, the agency claimed.
The CBI alleged that Raghuvanshi had collected information about classified communication information related to national security, besides details of strategic and diplomatic talks of India with friendly nations.
This information, if brought out, could have spoilt India’s bilateral relations with these countries, they said. (PTI)
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