Detained on DRDO officer's tip-off, Pokhran guesthouse manager ‘passed guest lists to Pakistan for 5 yrs'
Based on 'reliable' information, the Jaisalmer district police detained the manager 5 August for questioning, and a preliminary review of his mobile phone revealed the extent of the information he had passed on to Pakistani intelligence operatives. However, no First Information Report has been filed yet.
New Delhi: A complaint by a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) officer staying at the organisation's guest house at the Pokhran Field Firing Range has blown the lid off a five-year-long suspected spying module, allegedly run by the guest house manager, ThePrint has learnt.
According to a source, the list of guests helped Pakistani intelligence operative gauge the level of tests or the kind of projects underway at the Pokhran range.
A resident of Uttarakhand's Almora district, Prasad has been working at the DRDO guest house since 2019.
Situated around 200 kilometres from the Pakistan border in the Jaisalmer district, the Pokhran range serves as India's testing site for weapons and related facilities.
'Upon verification of intelligence inputs about his suspicious activities, Prasad was taken into custody for questioning by the local police. He was detained for comprehensive questioning by a Joint Interrogation Committee (JIC) comprising officials from the intelligence agencies and Border Security Force,' a source in the security establishment told ThePrint.
While officials were tight-lipped about the specific details of the case, ThePrint has learnt that Prasad was posted at the same DRDO guest house during Operation Sindoor, which saw attacks by Pakistan armed forces against Indian defence establishments, including the Jaisalmer Air Force Station.
A First Information Report is yet to be filed, and it will be based on the report of the JIC, which will determine the course of action.
Law enforcement agencies, including state police forces, have been on high alert against suspicious individuals passing on sensitive and confidential information to Pakistani operatives through communication apps or social media.
Police forces in Punjab, Haryana, as well as the National Investigation Agency, have arrested several individuals on charges of spying, including personnel from the Indian Army and the Central Reserve Police Force, in the last couple of months.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: Pokhran resident shrugs off drone incursions from Pakistan—'we're from land where nuclear tests happened
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
25 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
ED grills Suresh Raina for 8 hours in illegal betting apps probe
The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday questioned former India cricketer Suresh Raina for more than eight hours in its money laundering probe against illegal online betting platforms. The agency also recorded Raina's statement under the prevention of money laundering act (PMLA).(PTI) Raina, who was seen interacting with the ED staff and CISF personnel outside the agency's office, marked his attendance at 11 am, and left around 8 pm, PTI reported. The agency also recorded Raina's statement under the prevention of money laundering act (PMLA) for endorsing a sports betting app, which was involved in illegal practices. Raina allegedly undertook certain endorsements for the betting app. The ED interrogated the former Indian cricketer to understand his links with the app, any endorsement fee which he might have received, and the mode of communication used between both parties, PTI quoted sources as saying. Meanwhile, an ED officer said that 'another former Indian cricketer has also been asked to appear before the agency', without naming the individual. The agency, which is calling several celebrities with links to betting apps for interrogation, had also summoned representatives of Google and Meta for questioning as part of the probe. The ED is investigating multiple such cases which involve illegal betting apps, and has also questioned tech firms and media houses' representatives who have received money in the form of advertisements from them. The apps under the scanner have allegedly duped several people and investors of crores of rupees, while also evading taxes. There are around 22 crore Indians using such online betting apps, with half of them being regular users, according to PTI. The online betting app market in India is worth over USD 100 billion, PTI quoted experts as saying. In relation to online betting, the union ministry of information and broadcasting had, in 2023, issued four advisories to newspapers, broadcast news channels, entertainment channels, publishers of online news and current affairs content, online advertisement intermediaries, and social media platforms to not advertise these platforms. However, despite the advisories, celebrities from the entertainment and sports fields continued to endorse such apps, with some of them now being under the ED scanner, according to an officer.
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
"Scared To Go Out": Indian Man To Leave Ireland After Violent Attack
London: An Indian man living in Dublin, who was attacked by a group of teenagers over the weekend, has said he is returning to India after the incident and that members of the community are feeling scared in Ireland. The man, who did not wish to be named, told Irish media that he was attacked by three people on Sunday evening as he walked home from Fairview Park when one of the group, while riding an electric scooter, kicked him in the stomach. As he tried to walk away, two others joined in the attack and started hitting him, he told 'The Journal'. The group continued to kick and punch him even after he fell to the ground and one of them took the man's metal water bottle and hit him above the eye, causing a deep cut and heavy bleeding. He was later taken to hospital, where he received stitches for his injuries. The Irish police said it was investigating the incident, the latest in a string of recent incidents of violent assaults on members of the Indian community. The man said his parents, based in India, were concerned after the attack and asked him to consider returning, which he has now organised. He added that many of his friends are now 'scared to go outside' and some are planning on going back to India as a result. Ambassador of India to Ireland Akhilesh Mishra had a meeting with Tony Tighe, Detective Inspector, Liaison and Protection, and Ciaran P Nunan, Inspector of An Garda Síochána, the Indian Embassy in Ireland said in a social media statement on Wednesday. It followed Ireland President Michael D Higgins issuing a strongly worded statement to 'unequivocally' condemn the 'despicable attacks' on members of the Indian community. 'The recent despicable attacks on members of the Indian community stand in stark contradiction to the values that we as a people hold dear,' said Higgins on Tuesday. The president's intervention followed a similarly firm statement by the Archbishop of Dublin against the 'truly shocking' and "unprovoked" attacks. On Monday, the Ireland India Council announced the postponement of its annual 'India Day' celebrations, planned in Dublin for Sunday, amid security concerns for the community. An Garda Síochána, the Irish police force, has said that its investigations into the recent attacks remain ongoing and that it is 'liaising with the injured parties in each case'.
Economic Times
2 hours ago
- Economic Times
Tomorrow's Independence Day, not 'us vs them' day
We all want Independence Day to be safe and secure tomorrow. But much of I-Day has morphed from a spontaneous public celebration into a day of paranoid, xenophobic vigil. This week, a national-level skater and his father were denied a hotel room in Noida, because they were Bengali. The hotel staff reportedly explained to the two Kolkatans that the police had instructed them not to allow people from 'Bangladesh, Punjab, or Jammu and Kashmir to stay until August 15' and that 'people from Bangladesh' and Bengalis from West Bengal were the 'same thing'. Noida Police has denied giving any such instruction. Be that as it may, this is a genie that authorities have to put back in the bottle, ever since Delhi Police issued its infamous July 29 notification conflating Bengalis and (illegally residing) like this, however stray, show how dog whistling - seemingly innocuous messaging, but containing a covert instruction - is becoming normalised among a pliant, willing citizenry. Last month in Gurgaon, a 'verification drive' targeting illegal Bangladeshi immigrants led to migrant Indian Muslim workers being detained. Such paranoid binary thinking - 'them' vs 'us' - vitiates the very spirit of I-Day. It replaces trust and unity with suspicion and division, patriotic pride with paranoia. Worse, it seeps beyond August 15, feeding dangerous narratives India 2025 can well do without. GoI should issue a clear directive stating that valid IDs should suffice for hotel check-ins - which can, anyway, be verified with police if need be. The least it can do is condemn such divisive messagings before tomorrow, when all Indians celebrate freedom from a time when such nefarious conflations were the hallmark of colonial divide and rule. Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. Regulatory gray area makes investing in LVMH, BP tough For Indian retail How IDBI banker landed plush Delhi properties in Amtek's INR33k crore skimming As 50% US tariff looms, 6 key steps that can safeguard Indian economy Jane Street blow pushes Indian quants to ancient Greek idea to thrive Stock Radar: Astra Microwave showing signs of bottoming out after 16% fall from highs; time to buy? F&O Radar | Deploy Broken Wing in Paytm to play stock's bullish outlook These 9 banking stocks can give more than 28% returns in 1 year, according to analysts Why 2025 Could Be The Astrological Turning Point We've Been Waiting For
