A contractual videographer for Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has been sentenced to life by an Odisha court for sharing sensitive photographs of DRDO’s integrated missile test range in Chandipur with Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI.
Additional District Court (1) Judge Girija Prasad Mohapatra held Iswar Chandra Behera guilty of conspiracy and sharing vital information with Pakistan’s ISI agency among various foreign intelligence agencies.
The court also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on the convict.
41-year-old Behera, worked as a contractual videographer at the CCTV station of DRDO’s missile test range facility at Chandipur. He was convicted under Sections 121A (espionage) and 120B of the IPC and 3, 4 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act and sentenced to life by the court.
“The terrorist groups collect information from people of India like the present convict by providing them money. A group of these people of India are regularly supplying information to the enemies. People like Behera, (who) are putting the safety and security of the Union of India in the hands of the terrorists, are also terrorists. They are the active participants against the sovereignty of India. Whoever goes against the sovereignty of India would put India and its citizens in dangerous situations. They are required to be punished with utmost severity,” judge Mohapatra said in his order. He said terror attacks carried out by Pakistan-based militants could happen in India because people like Behera provided them with information.
During investigation it was found that Behera would go close to the missile testing sites, take videos, and later leave for Kolkata on the pretext of getting his camera repaired. In Kolkata, he used to hand over the videos and other sensitive information to ISI agents.
He was in constant touch with his handler over the phone and had met him at least 10 times during his trips to Kolkata, a police official had said.
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