DRDO Espionage Case: DRDO photographer sentenced to life through Odisha Court
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Bhubaneshwar, Feb 15: A Defence Research and Development Organisation ( DRDO ) Photographer has been sentenced to life by an Odisha court for sharing sensitive information and photographs of Integrated Missile Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur with ISI. Ishwar Behera has been identified as the convict in the concerned case, who worked as a contractual photographer at the CCTV station of DRDO’s missile test range facility at Chandipur, Odisha.
Behera was observed several times to have approached close to the missile testing sites with an aim to take videos and later leave for Kolkata disguised as leaving to get his camera repaired. After reaching Kolkata, he would hand over the sensitive information to ISI agent. It was also observed that money was transferred to his bank account from Abu Dhabi, Mumbai, Meerut, Andhra Pradesh, as well as Bihar, among other places.
The Odisha High Court has, therefore, sentenced Ishwar Behera to life after scrutinizing the case, under Sections 121 A (regarding espionage) and 120 B of the IPC and 3, 4 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, whereby the judge paralleled the convict’s act to terrorism.
The Odisha Court Judge Girija Prasad Mohapatra said in this regard that “The terrorist groups collect information from people of India like the present convict by providing them money. A group of these people of India is 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 no less than terrorists themselves."
The Judge continued saying, "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,” and further linked the convict’s act to terrorism.