A Pakistani national and his conduit from Bangladesh, nabbed in 2006 with some sensitive military documents by the Delhi police special cell, have been convicted by a Delhi court for spying against the country.
A Pakistani national and his conduit from Bangladesh, nabbed in 2006 with some sensitive military documents by the Delhi police special Cell, have been convicted by a Delhi court for spying against the country.
"I am of the opinion that the accused persons have collected 'offending documents' for a purpose detrimental to the safety and interests of the country," held Additional Sessions Judge Rajneesh Kumar Gupta, while convicting the duo on espionage charges.
"It is proved that Mohd Muzaffar Khan is a Pakistani national and Ali Rehman Jalal is a Bangladeshi National," he said, while also convicting them on charges of illegally staying here in the country.
The court is yet to pronounce its sentence for the duo. It is slated to pronounce it later this month. The maximum punishment for spying is 14 years, while illegal stay in the country entails a jail term of five years.
The Special cell sleuths had nabbed Madaripur native Jalal of Bangladesh in 2006 from south-west Delhi along with maps of cantonment area having markings with pencil in Urdu. A detailed diagram of information exchange and telephone exchange network of cantonment was also recovered among other documents.
Jalal during interrogation told the special cell that the "restricted" documents were handed to him by one Aslam who had asked him to hand them over to somebody in Bangladesh.
The Special Cell later arrested Aslam, who was found to be a Pakistani national Mohd. Muzaffar Khan from Karachi. He was residing in India under the fake name of Aslam and had managed to procure various documents like driving license, passport, PAN card, ATM card etc in his fake name.
The duo were charge sheeted for spying, illegally staying in India, hatching criminal conspiracy and committing forgery under various provisions of the Official Secrets Act, the Foreigners Act and the India Penal Code.
The prosecution had examined 26 witnesses, including several Army personnel and an erstwhile Parliamentarian to prove the case against the duo.
Lieutenant Colonel KS Kanwar (Intelligence), in his deposition, told the court "the documents recovered from the accused were restricted ones and can be used by the enemy country to harm the security, sovereignty and integrity of the state."
Another witness, erstwhile MP Ajay Chakravorty from 24 Pargana (North) in West Bengal told the court the residence certificate issued on his letter head that Jalal had been using, had been issued by him to a local native Ali Rakman Gazi.
"It has also been proved that the accused Mohd. Muzaffar Khan has forged the driving licence and the PAN and was residing in India under changed name. It has been proved that both accused were residing in India unauthorisedly," the ASJ said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}