The Crime Branch wing of Odisha Police, probing the Chandipur Development Organisation (DRDO) espionage case, has come across the role of another woman operative in the leaking of classified information from the defence installation.
The investigating agency had earlier detected the role of an elusive woman operative who was in constant touch with those arrested in the espionage case. The woman handler had reportedly befriended the arrested accused persons in passing classified information.
Another woman suspected to be the handler had also established contact with one of the accused. The woman had asked the accused Rs 40,000. And one of the accused persons arrested in the case had deposited the sum in two installments in two different bank accounts in Mumbai on 18 April, a top crime branch official said on Saturday.
Further investigation of the matter is underway; the official said refusing to divulge details keeping in view the sensitive nature of the case.
The crime branch police had earlier found money trail from Dubai and role of a woman operative in passing classified information to suspected Pakistani agents from the defence establishment.
Their bank, social media account details and the telephones of the accused persons were subjected to forensic analysis for expediting the probe. The principal focus of the investigation of the sensational espionage was on ascertaining what information they have shared with whom and who else are involved, the officials said while refusing to divulge further details.
It may be recalled here that the Odisha Police had nabbed the five Intermediate Test Range employees on September 13 and 16 for allegedly passing on vital information from the establishment of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to foreign spies in lieu of money.