GHAZIABAD: Nine more people were taken into custody for allegedly filming and sharing information about various locations in Delhi-NCR and Mumbai with ‘handlers’ based in Pakistan, taking the total number of suspects rounded up in the purported espionage case that came to light last week to 15.Police said at least two solar-powered, SIM-enabled CCTV cameras were installed by this group. On Wednesday, one was taken down from Sonipat railway station. After the first round of arrests, a similar device was found and seized at Delhi Cantonment station.Among the nine apprehended, on the back of the six arrests on March 14, are five minors. Interrogation of the six suspects led them to the others, police said. A special investigation team (SIT) has been formed to carry the probe forward.Among the accused are Ganesh Giri (20), a Nepal citizen, Vivek Rai (18) from Bihar, Gagan Kumar Prajapati (22) from Meerut, and Durgesh Nishad (26) from Jaunpur. The five minors are between 15 and 17 and are from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Those arrested on March 14 were Suhai Malik (23) from Bijnor, Sane Iram (25) from Ghaziabad, Raj Valmiki (19) from Auraiya, Siva Valmiki (20) from Badaun, and Ritik Gangwar (23) from Shahjahanpur.The intel, according to police, came from beat constable Vinesh Chaudhary, who received information during routine beat patrolling that some suspicious individuals in the Bhowapur area of Ghaziabad were installing solar-powered CCTV cameras in the Delhi Cantonment area. The follow-up probe found that the photos and videos were sent to a Pakistani mobile number via WhatsApp in exchange for payments that were made through UPI.Additional CP Raj Karan Nayyar told TOI two suspects who police believe to be the main organisers of this group, Naushad Ali and Sameer alias Shooter, are absconding. Both are from Bihar. “During questioning, the accused said the gang was operated by a man using a Pakistani number. The accused conducted reconnaissance of security force bases, other important establishments, and railway stations located at various places. Photos, videos, and GPS locations of these sites were sent to Pakistani numbers. For obtaining GPS locations, the accused had installed an app on their phones. Training to operate this app was also provided to them online by foreign handlers,” Nayyar said.According to him, a CCTV camera installed by the group was removed on March 14 from Delhi Cantonment railway station and on March 18 from Sonipat railway station. The cameras were installed at a height of 20 feet on a platform pole in a way that 3-4 platforms were visible. “There was a plan to install such CCTV cameras at 50 other locations,” Nayyar said. “The accused have also admitted that they shared one-time passwords so that Indian WhatsApp accounts could be operated from abroad for amounts ranging from Rs 500-5,000.”Police said the group was filming locations and sharing data for a few months, acting on instructions. “Prima facie, they were paid Rs 5,000-15,000 per task,” an officer said, adding that chats found on the accused’s phones contained images from several locations in Delhi-NCR and Mumbai.“The accused used UPI platforms for payments but instead of receiving payments in their own accounts, they had the payments routed through various Jan Seva Kendras and shops and collected the amount in cash from there,” Nayyar said.An FIR has been registered at Kaushambi police station under sections 152 (acts endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of BNS and sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act. Police said 11 mobile phones were recovered along with 10 SIM cards.
