Updated: September 20, 2020 7:52:11 am
In January 2019, according to police, Sharma contacted another person from Kunming named George, who “introduced himself as the CEO of a Chinese media company.”
Delhi Police claimed on saturday that Rajeev Sharma, a 61-year-old author and strategic affairs analyst whose arrest was announced by the Special Cell a day earlier, had relayed information such as the deployment of Indian troops to the border to Chinese intelligence officers.
He also said that he had arrested two more in connection with the Official Secrets Act (OSA) case, a 30-year-old Chinese woman and her “Nepalese accomplice”, for allegedly “supplying (Sharma) with enormous amounts of money sent to through hawala channels to transmit sensitive information to Chinese intelligence ”.
Police claimed that shell companies had been set up abroad to send money to Sharma. At a press conference, DCP (special cell) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said that a case had been filed under the OSA on September 13 and that Sharma was arrested the next day.
“During the search of Sharma’s house, a laptop, some confidential documents related to the defense department and other incriminating documents were recovered.” Qing Shi, the arrested Chinese national, ran the India wing of a Chinese company that was allegedly among Sharma’s “manipulators.”
Read | Arrested scribe Rajeev Sharma was passing information on India’s border strategy to the Chinese: Delhi Police
While the police rejected all inquiries about the nature of the documents allegedly shared by Sharma, an officer told The Sunday Express: “We have recovered PDF files and other documents with maps and information on the army deployments on the Indian border. and China from Sharma email. Sharma also had secret information on the border situation between India and Myanmar. We are reviewing all emails and documents to get your source. “
Attorney Dr. Adish Aggarwala, who represents Sharma, questioned the charges against Sharma. “He is a renowned journalist… Any journalist can be hired by foreign news agencies. I was writing for the Global Times… it’s a reputable news agency, ”said Aggarwala.
Adding that Sharma had been detained on the night of September 14 while on the road, driving, Aggarwala said: “The police personnel went to his house with him, about 20 of them, and searched the place until 3 a.m. . According to Sharma’s wife, they did not find any sensitive material. She said that he was not involved in any of those activities and did not obtain any classified documents. “
At the press conference, DCP Yadav said: “During 2010-2014, Sharma wrote a weekly column for the Global Times, widely known as a spokesperson for the Chinese government. Looking at these columns, a Chinese intelligence agent named Michael from Kunming city in China contacted Sharma through his LinkedIn account and invited him to Kunming for an interview with a Chinese media company. “
Read also | Police action against ‘pushy’ independent journalist Rajeev Sharma: Press Club of India
Yadav said that during questioning, Sharma admitted that “Michael and his subordinate Xou asked him to provide information on various aspects of India-China relations. Between 2016 and 2018, Sharma was in contact with the two and tasked with providing information on issues such as India’s deployment to the Bhutan-Sikkim-China triple junction, including Doklam, the pattern of India-Myanmar military cooperation. , and the Problem of the border between India and China. He had meetings with Michael and Xou in Laos and the Maldives. “
In January 2019, according to police, Sharma contacted another person from Kunming named George, who “introduced himself as the CEO of a Chinese media company.” “Sharma visited Kunming via Kathmandu and met George … During the meeting, George asked Sharma to write about issues related to the Dalai Lama, so they offered him $ 500 per article or information … They told him that they would send you money through the company. sister concern, based in Delhi’s Mahipalpur, ”police said.
This sister company, police said, was being operated by Qing Shi. Qing did her master of science from Jamia Hamdard Nursing College from 2013-15, a source at the university said. The Nepalese resident who was arrested was identified as Sher Singh.
Delhi police said: “Two Chinese nationals, Jhang Chang and his wife Chang-li-lia, ran MZ Pharmacy and MZ Malls under the assumed names Suraj and Usha. Both are currently in China, and on their behalf Qing and Sher Singh, both directors of MZ Pharmacy, operated the business. “
DCP Yadav said: “From January 2019 to September 2020, Sharma received more than Rs 30 lakh from George in approximately 10 installments. Sharma met George in Malaysia and Kunming. “
Police said Sharma had told them he was “about to send the recovered secret documents to his handlers.” “In the past, too, he had submitted various documents … and got a good pay for them.”
The police claimed to have been informed by an intelligence agency a few days ago about Sharma and how he was “receiving funds from his manager by illegal means and money transfers from Western Union to transmit sensitive information on national security and foreign relations.”
Sharma, who previously worked with United News of India, The Tribune and Sakaal Times, recently wrote an article for the Global Times titled “A Rapprochement Roadmap for Beijing and New Delhi Benefits Both Countries.” He runs a YouTube channel with more than 11,000 followers and claims to have authored seven books.
The Press Club of India (PCI) issued a statement criticizing the arrest of Sharma, who is a member of PCI. Calling him “a well-known independent journalist,” he read: “The six-day pre-trial detention of the Sharma police … evidently for transmitting defense-related information to China, seems mind-boggling. You wrote on strategic matters and may have routinely accessed overclassified information on the internet that is in the public domain … Based on the police statement … we have no hesitation in saying that police action is overbearing, and it may be inspired by obscure or questionable considerations. “
Citing actions against journalists in the past, such as Iftikar Gilani on “fabricated” charges, as well as Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid, and recent arrests for the Delhi riots, the PCI questioned “the dubious track record of the Special Branch” the Delhi Police.
Sharma’s home in Pitampura remained closed on Saturday.
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