DRDO espionage case: one accused received 38K from Dubai, IAF starts Interrogation

Cuttack (Odisha): In the DRDO espionage case, one of the five accused received Rs.38,000 in 2 instalments from Dubai. The social media profiles of all accused and details of a woman operative, who used a mobile number of the United Kingdom being verified says Odisha Crime Branch Additional Director General. Also, the Indian Air Force officials are also interrogating them at the Crime Branch Headquarters.

A three-member Indian Air Force (IAF) team is interrogating the five persons arrested in connection with the alleged espionage in the Integrated Test Range of DRDO at Chandipur in Balasore, informed Odisha Crime Branch ADG Sanjeeb Panda on Tuesday. The accused have been brought by the Crime Branch to its headquarters in Cuttack on a 7-day remand.

Odisha Crime Branch ADG Sanjeeb Panda said that the Crime Branch has seized the mobile phones of the accused persons. Their bank and social media account details are being verified. The investigation till now has revealed that Rs 38,000 had been transferred to the bank account of one of the accused in two instalments from Dubai. It was also found out that a female operative using various fake identities had established connections with the accused persons.

She was interacting with them through Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. She was using a UK-based telephone number to contact them. Panda informed that the telephones of the accused persons will be sent for forensic analysis and other financial transactions will be probed by the Crime Branch.

The five accused include a permanent employee and four contractual staff at the Integrated Test Range, DRDO. On Sept. 18, Crime Branch took them on remand for seven days for interrogation. Sources said the IAF officials carried out a marathon interrogation of the accused at the Crime Branch headquarters in Cuttack on Monday.