Delhi Police Arrested Senior journalist who they allege passed sensitive defence information to Chinese intelligence from 2016 to 2018
“Rajeev Sharma has almost 40 yrs of experience as a journalist. In additional to his experience as a journalist in several news firms in India, he has written articles for Chinese media agency Global Times as a freelance journalist,” Sanjeev K Yadav, DCP, Special Cell Delhi Police, said.
The arrests were made after the Delhi Police interrogated a freelance journalist Rajeev Sharma under the Official Secrets Act for sharing secret defence papers with Chinese spy agencies.
According to the police, the Chinese woman and her Nepalese associate were also arrested for paying him large amounts of money routed through shell companies.
Sharma was produced before the court on September 15, which sent him to six-day police custody.
Delhi Police Special Cell informed that Sharma, a resident of Pitampura in New Delhi, was “found to be in possession of some defence-related classified documents”.
After the arrest of a freelance journalist along with a Chinese woman Qing Shi and her Nepali associate Sher Singh (aka Raj Bohra) on Saturday, Delhi Police has said that the journalist provided ‘sensative information’ concerning ‘national security’ and ‘foreign relations’
“A few days back, a secret input was received from an Intelligence Agency that Sharma is having links with Foreign Intelligence Officer and he has been receiving funds from his handler through illegal means and Western Union money transfers platform for conveying sensitive information, which concerns National Security and Foreign relations.
Sharma was arrested on September 14, 2020 and a Search Warrant was obtained for searching his residential premises.” Delhi Police said.
Journalist Rajeev Sharma was involved in passing sensitive defence & strategic information to Chinese intelligence officers from 2016 to 2018. He used to meet them at several locations in different countries,” Delhi Police added.
Upon interrogation, the journalist revealed that he was about to send recovered secret documents to his handlers fo which he was about to be paid a handsome remuneration.
“Journalist Rajeev Sharma further disclosed he was about to send/convey these recovered secret documents to his handlers.
In past also, he sent several documents in the form of reports to his handlers & got handsome remuneration for the same,” Deputy Commissioner of Police, Delhi, said.
“Journalist Rajeev Sharma has disclosed his involvement in procurement of secret/sensitive information & further conveying the same to his Chinese handlers namely Michael & George, based in Kunming, China, through different digital channels,” he added.
Delhi Police further informed that he has also written articles for Chinese media agency Global Times as a freelance journalist.
But how and through whom defence secret documents reached Sharma police refuse to divulge
