Man held for selling fake DRDO docus in Darj district
Times of India | 28 November 2024
Darjeeling: A man was arrested in Panighatta on Tuesday in a joint operation by Army intelligence and police on espionage charges for selling sensitive fake Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) documents and fake radioactive materials.
The accused, identified as Francis Ekka, a resident of Naxalbari, was on Wednesday produced before the Mirik court, which remanded him in police custody for five days. Army officials said they were looking for him for the past six months.
Ekka was working as a forest volunteer at Panighatta Forest Range under Kurseong forest division for nine months. He got the job on compassionate grounds after a family member died in an elephant tragedy.
According to the police, the Army intelligence met Ekka in the guise of buyers. Darjeeling SP Praween Prakash said the accused was carrying radioactive materials and DRDO documents. The samples were later examined by a team from NDRF, who confirmed that they were counterfeit.
"An investigation has been initiated to trace others involved in this racket," said Prakash.