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Indian Express
5 hours ago
- General
- Indian Express
Pak agent gave Rs 15,000 to Thane man as gift
RAVI VARMA (27), the Thane resident arrested last week by the Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) for allegedly providing sensitive information to a Pakistan Intelligence Operative (PIO), had put his company's name and phone number on his social media profile, making him an easy target of enemy spies, officials said. Varma, who was honey-trapped by the PIO posing as a college student from Punjab, worked for a defence firm contracted by the Indian Navy. Initially, the PIO contacted him on messenger through fake accounts but he blocked them. The Pakistani agent then contacted him directly on WhatsApp as his mobile number too was mentioned on his profile, an official said, adding that those working in sensitive sectors should not mention personal details on their social media accounts as PIOs actively seek such information online. Giving details of how he was honey-trapped, the official said initially the PIO posed as a girl, identifying herself as 'Preety', a student of Panjab University, and contacted him on Facebook messenger. She said she had a college project related to construction of a ship and needed his help. He blocked her. She then contacted him from another account identifying herself as 'Ashpreet'. She requested him to help her or she would fail. Eventually, she called him on WhatsApp and, over a period of time, he allegedly sent her photographs of maps of ships that he drew after visiting restricted areas in Mumbai port. He also chatted with one of her 'professors' whom he addressed as 'Sir'. 'She also gave him around Rs 15,000 to purchase things for his sister's children. In fact, his sister had a fight with the woman, asking her to leave her brother. However, by then he was smitten by her and had passed on enough sensitive details,' the official said. The official said the private defence company in Navi Mumbai for which he worked, the terms and conditions specifically mentions that employees are not meant to share sensitive information they have access to because of the nature of their job. The accused was produced before the Thane court on Monday and his custody extended.
The Print
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Arrested student activist-scribe was using dark web for anti-national activities: Maharashtra ATS
Rejaz M Sheeba Sydeek (26) was arrested by Lakadganj police on May 7 from a hotel here after his online activities were placed under surveillance. The dark web is a part of the internet that is not indexed by standard search engines and can only be accessed through specific software. It provides users with anonymity and is often associated with illegal activities, including drug trafficking and data breaches. Nagpur, May 19 (PTI) The student activist-cum-journalist arrested earlier this month in Nagpur was allegedly using the dark web to post inflammatory comments and for other anti-national activities, a Maharashtra ATS official said on Monday. He has been booked under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provisions for allegedly preparing to wage war against the country and supporting terror outfits, the official from the Nagpur unit of ATS said. 'His house in Kerala was raided on May 11, which led to recovery of incriminating documents. A preliminary scan of the digital devices belonging to him showed he was active on the dark web. He was making inflammatory comments and posting his ideas,' he said. The Anti Terrorism Squad will send the digital devices to the cyber-forensic laboratory for in-depth investigation, the official added. The official also said Sydeek's police custody was extended by two days by a local court on Sunday. His online activities include provocative posts and an image showing him holding a firearm after a visit to a rifle shop here, following which he was booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 149 (preparing to wage war against the Government of India), 192 (provocation with intent to cause riots), 351 (criminal intimidation) and 353 (statements conducive to public mischief). After a probe, sections 38 and 39 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act dealing with membership of terrorist organisation and providing support to such outfits were added in the case, which was then transferred from Lakadganj police to ATS, he said. PTI COR BNM This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
