New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Saturday said arrested freelance journalist Rajeev Sharma was allegedly passing sensitive information about India’s border strategy and Army’s deployment and procurement to Chinese intelligence agencies.
At a press conference, Special Cell DCP Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said that police are investigating what information Sharma had allegedly passed on to Chinese intelligence officers through his social media accounts and email ID.
Based on Sharma’s statement during interrogation, a Chinese woman and her Nepalese associate were arrested on Saturday morning.
“Both the Chinese woman and her associate were directors of shell companies in Delhi’s Mahipalpur area and they would export medicines to China and in return, would get huge money which they gave to their agents here,” Yadav said.
Sharma was allegedly contacted by Chinese intelligence officer Michael in 2016 and the scribe allegedly shared sensitive information with him till 2018, the DCP said.
He came in contact with Michael through a social media platform and later, also visited China where lucrative offers were made, the police officer said, adding Sharma allegedly started giving sensitive defence information to Chinese intelligence.
Michael had also borne all expenses on Sharma’s visit to China, police claimed. “In 2019, Sharma came in contact with another Chinese intelligence officer George and he was continuing to share Indian defence-related information,” Yadav claimed. According to the police officer, Sharma has been in journalism for 40 years and since 2010, he was working freelance. (PTI)