Kanpur: Tuesday night ushered in a major security lapse in the form of the Uttar Pradesh Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) arresting a junior works manager at the Kanpur Ordnance Factory, Kumar Vikas, for allegedly betraying secrets of that organization to one that could be associated with a suspected Pakistani intelligence operative.
An official statement said Vikas was found sharing confidential documents in his social media apps as well as his encrypted messaging app. It was found that he was in touch with a suspected Pakistani spy using the name ‘Neha Sharma.’ Initially, Vikas was approached by this agent through Facebook, when the agent posed himself to be an employee of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). After they built trust, they exchanged their mobile numbers and started talking over WhatsApp.
Vikas sent at least some of these sensitive documents over Whats App, including form OMA containing details of ordnance manufacturing, attendance sheets of employees, machine layouts, production charts, etc, ATS said. They would cleverly use the Ludo gaming app for secret conversations to avoid detection by intelligence agencies. According to the accused, he was tempted by financial reward to pass on this top-secret classified information.
It was also revealed that Vikas was being kept under surveillance for quite some time after suspicious activities were identified. He was a confirmed leaker involving leaking national security-related information to foreign agents. After his arrest, the ATS seized him and continued its probe to find out how broad the espionage network was.
These arrests triggered serious comments on the existence of inside threats and the increasing use of social media platforms and applications to conduct espionage. The ATS has also asked employees of defence establishments, which fall in the sensitive category, to be extra cautious and report they’re suspicious contacts. There are currently still further legal proceedings and interrogations.
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