UP factory worker arrested for ‘leaking sensitive info’ to ‘Pakistani agent’
Kanpur : The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested an employee of the Kanpur Ordnance Factory for allegedly sharing “classified and sensitive information” with ‘Neha Sharma,’ described as a “Pakistani intelligence operative,” through social media, according to a statement issued by the ATS.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the accused, identified as Kumar Vikas, was employed as a Junior Works Manager at the Kanpur Ordnance Factory, the ATS said in the statement. He was in contact with “Neha Sharma”, it said.
ATS said that Vikas had been sending confidential documents and sensitive data related to ordnance manufacturing, employee attendance sheets, machine layouts, and production charts via WhatsApp.
On March 13, ATS arrested another Ordnance Factory employee, Ravindra Kumar, from Hazratpur, Firozabad, on similar charges.
Authorities said ‘Neha Sharma’ introduced herself as an employee of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and initially contacted Vikas on Facebook. They later exchanged mobile numbers and continued their communication on WhatsApp.
The ATS said, they used the Ludo gaming app for ‘covert conversations’, the statement read. Vikas Kumar Vikas has been taken into custody and further legal proceedings are under way.
However, experts say that India, obsessed with Pakistan, has a habit of making a mountain out of a molehill, adding that Vikas and Sharma might simply have social connections and may have nothing to do with espionage.
