Representative image showing a jail cell.
Credit: iStock Photo
Lucknow: A man from Gujarat has been sentenced to rigorous imprisonment (RI) by a special NIA court here for being part of a Pakistan-led espionage ring involving an Indian Army personnel, according to an official statement issued on Thursday.
Anas Yakub Giteli has been sentenced to multiple sentences ranging from 3 to 5 years' RI, along with fine, it said. All sentences will run concurrently.
Giteli, a resident of Godhra town under district Panchmahal in Gujarat, was arrested with Indian Army signalman Saurabh Sharma in January 2021 in the case originally registered by the Uttar Pradesh Police.
NIA took over and re-registered the case in February 2021.
A charge sheet against the two was filed by the NIA in July 2021. Sharma was sentenced by the NIA court last month.
According to investigation, Sharma was lured by a pseudonymous entity operated by Defence/ISI agents of Pakistan and had shared secret information about the Indian Army with the entity called 'Neha Sharma,' said the statement issued by the National Investigation Agency.
The said entity had hatched a criminal conspiracy to obtain restricted and confidential information from Indian Army officials, it said.
Sharma had received funds from multiple sources, including Pakistani, and also from Giteli, in lieu of sensitive/confidential information passed to Pakistani ISI operatives, the statement said.
The restricted information included the order of battle, troop deployments, locations, strength and composition of ambush parties, and other sensitive information, it added.
Giteli, at the behest of Pakistan-based ISI handlers, had deposited funds in the account of Pooja Singh, Sharma's wife, and had sent the photo of the deposit slip to his handlers as a confirmation of the funds transfer, the probe agency said.
The two accused used to frequently delete the incriminating logs/digital footprints, WhatsApp communication, including the incriminating WhatsApp chats and images, to hide their wrongdoings, NIA investigations had revealed.