Author: T. Sunil Reddy
Publication: The Times
of India
Date: September 19,
2000
Call it hi-tech spying.
State intelligence agencies have found that followers of the Deendar Anjuman
sect reportedly fed Pakistan's Inter-services Intelligence (ISI) with vital
information about the defence establishments located in and around the
city via the Internet.
Informed sources in the
state intelligence said some Deendar Anjuman members collected details
of the defence and atomic energy institutes, including the prestigious
Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO), Nuclear Fuel Complex,
Bharat Dynamics Limited, and passed it on to Pakistan's ISI. The Deendar
members compiled the data on compact discs (CDs) and transmitted it through
the Internet.
The sources said the
local Deendar members were supervised by Hasan-ul-Zama, the junior warrant
officer of Indian Air force (IAF), who was arrested by the Bangalore police
sometime back. Hasan is a native of Nuzvid in Krishna district and he along
with two brothers were involved in the activities of the Deendar sect.
The sources said a chance
detection of the CDs at a hideout of Deendar members in Krishna district
led to the arrest of three more persons- Khamruddin, Sharuddin and Iqbal
Sufi- who acted according to Hasan's directions and did the job for him.
After obtaining permission
from the court, the police recently opened the CDs and were reportedly
shocked to find it containing sensitive information.
Sources said the Deendar
members collected the topographical details of almost all defence, atomic
energy and space establishments in the city, including DRDO, NFC, BDL,
RCI, DRDL, NRSA and ECIL. While DRDO and DRDL manufacture vital defence
products for the country, the Research Centre Imarat (RCI) is working on
high-range missile technology, including Agni- II project.
The CDs were reportedly
loaded with the information about individual officers functioning at each
of the projects, their personal details and also their strengths and weaknesses.
The distance between each of the vital institute from railway station,
bus stand and airport was also clearly mentioned in the CDs.
Intelligence sources
said Hasan, the IAF officer, himself collected important data about the
Indian Air Force and leaked it to the ISI. He worked in the stores department
of IAF for some years and hence could gather much of information about
the IAF, a senior official investigating the case told this newspaper.
According to him, Hasan
even sent information about the clothes and the colour of dresses the IAF
personnel of various ranks wear on duty.
The intelligence official,
however, ruled out the possibility of Deendar members penetrating deep
into the current defence projects and gathering data. "The Deendar might
have collected the information from lower-rung staff, who in turn passed
on them to Pakistani ISI agency," he said.
The official pointed
out that the ISI, like any other counter-intelligence agency, was interested
in knowing about the personal details of senior staff members working in
important defence establishments.
When contacted, director-general
of police H.J. Dora confessed that Deendar members tried to smuggle out
data on defence establishments in the city. "We have alerted the military
intelligence agencies about the incident," he said.
