Lensman sentenced to life imprisonment in DRDO espionage case

Iswar, a contractual cameraman was assigned to a highly sensitive defence establishment, ITR(Integrated test range), a missile testing unit of DRDO based at Chandipur.

The 41-year-old native of Kantipur village near Baisinga in Mayurbhanj district  was booked under Sections 121A and 120B of the IPC, and 3, 4 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act,  1923 which include abetment  of waging war against State.

Deputy director prosecution, Crime branch, Chittaranjan Kanungo   said that it was proved that Behera was in touch with an ISI   agent and sharing secret and classified information of ITR  missile testing activities  with him  for monetary gain.

His audio conversation of about 666 seconds,too, was confirmed by the forensic  laboratory.During investigation it was  found that money  was  transferred to his account through internet banking.

Behera also received money orders from various places including Mumbai, Meerut, Ajmer  Andhra Pradesh, Bihar Middle East Abu Dhabi.

The verdict was pronounced today after about  six years  of his arrest. The  judge also imposed  Rs 10,000 each penalty under two  of  the sections along with the  life imprisonment.

As many as 29 witnesses were examined, 44 document evidences and 36 material evidences  were produced  in the court.

Even the statement of  a postmaster of Meerut  city  in connection with the money order received  by Behera was  recorded .

"This is one of the rarest of rare cases  and also an exceptional  one which has never happened before in Odisha,” said Mr.Kanungo.

Behera was in touch with one Asif Ali  of Meerut city,  a suspected ISI agent who is still in jail.

Ishwar was employed as a cameraman at the ITR on contractual basis in 2007 against a monthly salary of Rs 8,000 as a contractual videographer in the CCTV section of ITR.

The government put him under surveillance following intelligence inputs by central agencies about his suspicious activities.

Based on inputs by IB, a special wing of Odisha Police tracked his movements for several weeks before arresting him and took him under custody on Jan,23 ,2015.

The Police had seized a computer, cell phone, hard disk, bank passbook and pen drive and several other items from his house.