New Delhi, Jul 15 (IANS): The Delhi Police Crime Branch on Thursday said that with the arrest of a spy, Habib-ur-Rahman from Rajasthan's Pokhran, it has busted an espionage racket and also recovered highly confidential documents containing top secret information relating to the Indian Army. He was going to pass them to his handlers in Pakistan.

Addressing a press conference here, Crime Branch Special Commissioner Praveer Ranjan said that with the arrest of Rahman, the Crime Branch has busted an espionage racket. Rahman was transferring important information to his handlers in Pakistan's ISI.

Ranjan said that the Crime Bramch also arrested an Army official named Paramjit.

He said that the Crime Branch took up the probe after it got inputs about some persons based at Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh being involved in anti-national activities and espionage.

Ranjan said that these individuals were indulging in anti-national activities since long and some army officials were providing them highly classified, confidential information and documents, for monetary benefits.

Ranjan said, "During the process on July 11, specific secret intel was received that one individual by the name of Habib, who had visited Pakistan also, is referring secret or classified documents pertaining to Indian Army to Pakistan through some anti-national individuals based in Delhi."

He said that it also came to light that these activities are taking place in Pokhran, Rajasthan.

"If raided, these spies could be apprehended red-handed," the Special Commissioner said.

The officer said the information was developed further and a team was formed to conduct the raid and arrest the accused.

Ranjan said, "Acting on the above information the team reached Pokhran and through technical surveillance the identity of the suspect was verified. Through electronic surveillance his location was ascertained and he was intercepted and checked."

"From his possession certain documents related to Army were recovered. On questioning, he could not give any satisfactory reply on why he was in possession of these documents or what is the source of these documents and kept on giving evasive replies," Ranjan said, adding that these documents have been got verified and authenticated from Army Headquarters in Delhi, which confirmed the authenticity and informed that the documents contain highly secret information about the Army.

"We filed a case under several sections of the Official Secrets Act," he said.

Crime Branch DCP Monika Bhardwaj said, "Rahman disclosed that he is in the business of supplying fruits and vegetables to different vendors including the army base at Pokhran. While he was supplying goods at this canteen, he came in contact with one army official Paramjit."

"Initially Paramjit was posted at Pokhran and later on was transferred to another state - but that did not affect the exchange of vital or crucial inside information reaching Rahman.

"It was further disclosed by Rahman that the information so provided to him, was being passed on to his "Pakistani handlers", she said.

"Rahman disclosed that for all his services he was being paid in cash by his handlers and the same was being transferred by him and his associates to the bank accounts of his associate army officer by wire transfers through some hawala traders," the DCP said.

Bhardwaj added that Rahman during questioning also revealed that the recovered documents were provided to him by the army official and he was to send or convey them to his handler.

"In the past also, he had sent several documents, CDs containing vital information about the Army and other information to his handler and received a handsome remuneration for the same. During further interrogation it was revealed that in the year 2019 he had visited Pakistan," she added.