New Delhi, May 17 (Hindustan Times). The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested Vivek Raghuvanshi, a freelance journalist and a former naval commander, on charges of espionage. A case of espionage was registered against them by the CBI on Tuesday. The freelance journalist is accused of collecting sensitive information related to DRDO and future procurements of the Indian Armed Forces and sharing it with foreign intelligence agencies. After registering the case, the CBI has conducted searches at 12 places in Delhi, Noida, Gurugram and Jaipur.
Initially the Delhi Police registered an FIR against Raghuvanshi and later handed over the investigation to the CBI. Subsequently, the CBI registered a case against Raghuvanshi and former Navy Commander Ashish Pathak under the provisions of the Official Secrets Act under the Secretaries Act. Thereafter, on the basis of the FIR, the investigating agency raided 12 locations of Vivek Raghuvanshi and his close associates located in Jaipur and NCR, from where a large quantity of digital records and other documents have been recovered. Sensitive documents recovered during the raid have been sent for legal review.
According to sources, Vivek Raghuvanshi and former Navy Commander Ashish Pathak have been arrested under provisions of the Official Secrets Act. The CBI alleges that these people were collecting sensitive information and minute details about the progress of various DRDO projects. The agency also alleges that collecting details of future procurement plans of the Indian Armed Forces could have adversely affected the country’s strategic preparedness.
In the FIR, the CBI alleges that Raghuvanshi had collected details of India’s strategic and diplomatic interactions with friendly countries, as well as confidential communications related to national security. Had these information come to light, India’s bilateral relations with these countries could have deteriorated. They are accused of allegedly collecting sensitive information about the Defense Research Development Organization (DRDO) and the Army and sharing it with foreign intelligence agencies.
