Scribe, ex-Navy officer arrested in spying case
New Delhi, May 17
The CBI has arrested freelance journalist Vivek Raghuvanshi and former Navy commander Ashish Pathak for allegedly collecting sensitive defence information and passing it on to foreign intelligence agencies, officials said today. They were produced before a special CBI court, which sent them to six-day custody of the agency.
The charge
Journalist Vivek Raghuvanshi and former Navy commander Ashish Pathak are accused of collecting and passing on defence information to foreign intelligence agencies having the potential to disturb India’s relations with friendly countries.
The CBI took over the probe into the espionage case on December 9, 2022. It was earlier being investigated by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police, which was on the trail of Raghuvanshi since September last year, the officials said. The Special Cell was looking into the case after receiving inputs that some journalists were collecting and passing on defence information to foreign intelligence agencies having the potential to disturb India’s relations with friendly countries. The CBI on Tuesday carried out raids at 15 locations in Delhi-NCR and Jaipur, where Raghuvanshi apparently lived, the officials said.
“The agency seized 48 electronic devices, including laptops, tablets, mobile phones, hard disks and pen drives, and a number of incriminating documents relating to Indian defence establishments during the searches,” a CBI spokesperson said.
“The scrutiny of the devices has revealed that Raghuvanshi was allegedly collecting confidential information on India’s defence procurement from different sources. He was in contact with several foreign entities and agents and had entered into contracts with them for sharing confidential information. It was also alleged that the accused and his family members had received money from foreign sources,” the CBI stated in its FIR.
