News Analysis India

Tag: espionage case

  • Delhi HC directs release of Chinese woman on bail in espionage case 

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court Wednesday directed the release of a Chinese woman on bail in an espionage case involving freelance journalist Rajeev Sharma.

    Justice Yogesh Khanna set aside a sessions court order overturning the grant of bail by a magisterial court and directed Qing Shi to surrender her passport to the investigating officer of Delhi Police and furnish a personal bond and surety of Rs one lakh each.

    The court said that Shi was entitled to grant of statutory bail when admittedly the charge sheet was filed beyond the period of sixty days.

    The other bail conditions include Shi not leaving the country without the permission of the trial court, furnishing her contact details/address to the investigating officer and making a video call to him in the first week of every month as well as keeping her mobile location app open at all times.

    “The petition is allowed. Consequently, the impugned order dated December 16, 2020 passed by the learned Appellate Court in Criminal Revision No.65/2020 is set aside.

    “The petitioner be released from Prison on her furnishing a personal bond in the sum of Rs one lakh with one surety of the like amount to the satisfaction of the learned Trial Court /Duty Magistrate,” the judge ordered.

    Rajeev Sharma was arrested on September 14 last year by the Special Cell based on Indian intelligence inputs, and police allegedly seized some defence classified documents from his house.

    Shi was subsequently arrested along with her Nepalese associate and has been in judicial custody since September last year.

    The FIR is the case alleges the commission of offences under the Official Secrets Act.

  • NIA files chargesheet against Indian operative of Pakistan ISI in espionage case

    By PTI
    VIJAYAWADA: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday filed a supplementary chargesheet against an Indian operative of Pakistan’s spy agency ISI for allegedly raising funds for espionage activities in India, an official said.

    The first supplementary chargesheet against Imran Yakub Giteli, a resident of Godhra in Gujarat, was filed under sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) before the special NIA court in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, he said.

    The official said a case was registered in November 2019 under sections of the IPC, the UAPA and the Official Secrets Act in Vijayawada over a conspiracy hatched by Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence agents along with their associates based in India to carry out terrorist acts in India.

    They were involved in espionage activities by collecting sensitive and classified official information relating to vital defence installations in order to threaten the integrity, security and sovereignty of India, he added.

    The official said the National Investigation Agency re-registered the case in December 2019 and took over the investigation.

    The premier investigation agency had earlier filed a chargesheet against 14 accused, including three civilians with business interests in Pakistan, in June last year, he said.

    Giteli was in contact with Pakistani agents and used to meet them during his visits to Pakistan, the NIA official.

    On the instructions of Pakistani ISI agents, he was transferring money into the accounts of Navy personnel in lieu of passing sensitive and strategic information, the official added.

    Giteli was raising funds for terrorist activities in the garb of illegal cloth business, he said.

    Investigation revealed an organised wide network of Pakistan-based espionage activities in India utilising services of operatives like Giteli, the official said, adding further investigation in the case is on.