Cuttack: In a major development in the DRDO/ITR espionage case, the National Investigating Agency (NIA) is suspecting the inclusion of a middleman from Uttar Pradesh and Pakistani handlers.
According to reports, it is being suspected that a person from Uttar Pradesh and handlers assisted in the money-flow from Pakistan. Besides, a “Bangladesh link” has also surfaced. It is being suspected that Bangladeshi sleeper-cells were involved in the espionage.
Following this, the crime branch is looking into the aspect and keeping a close vigilance on Odisha-Bangladesh activities.
On the other hand, the NIA is currently following up the money trail.
The ITR is a laboratory of the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) which provides launch facilities for performance evaluation of rockets, missiles and air-borne weapon system. While four contractual employees of the ITR at Chandipur in Balasore district were arrested last week, the police later nabbed Sachin Kumar, a driver and permanent staff of the DRDO.
Kumar, a resident of Uttar Pradesh and residing in the ITR colony, was allegedly helping the four accused in providing information to the Pakistani agent.
On Tuesday, the Odisha Police had arrested four contractual employees of DRDO from the ITR facility in Chandipur for allegedly leaking secrets to a Pakistani agent. The accused persons were – AC operator Basanta Behera (52), diesel genset operator Hemanta Kumar Mistri (52), employee on duty at ITR main gate Tapas Ranjan Nayak (41), and AC operator Sk. Musafir (32),– all from Balasore district.
