Cyber Samachar
Date: March 14, 2025
Location: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Firozabad: The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad (UP ATS) has taken into custody an employee of the Hazratpur-based Ordnance Factory for allegedly handing over sensitive defense-related information to a Pakistani intelligence official (PIO). The arrested individual is Ravindra Kumar, who was picked up from the ATS headquarters in Lucknow following a thorough interrogation.
LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) apprehended an Ordnance Factory worker, Ravindra Kumar, on charges of espionage for allegedly passing on confidential information to a Pakistani intelligence handler. He was picked up from ATS headquarters in Lucknow late Thursday evening.
Charge man of Ordnance Factory:
Ravindra Kumar, a charge man at the Ordnance Factory in Hazratpur, Firozabad, handed over sensitive defense-related papers to a woman named “Neha Sharma,” who is suspected to be a Pakistani intelligence agent, ATS officials said.
Ravindra Kumar fell into the trap of Sharma after forming a rapport with her via Facebook in June-July 2024, ATS claimed. Intelligence inputs reflected potential internal and external security threats connected with the leak of sensitive data.
Further electronic and physical monitoring picked up the accused to be Ravindra Kumar, charge man with the Ordnance Factory, Hazratpur, Firozabad.
Interrogation:
Ravindra Kumar was called in for interrogation on March 12, 2025, to the ATS field unit in Agra. During interrogation, Kumar first gave confusing answers and tried to mislead the investigators. He later chose to remain overnight for questioning. The next day, Kumar was taken to the ATS headquarters in Lucknow.
When officers checked his cell phone — a Redmi Note 9 Pro — they found a WhatsApp chat under the contact name Chandan Store Keeper 2. Inquiries showed that the number was of a woman named Neha Sharma. Kumar had stored her contact under a pseudonym to hide their communication, the ATS added.
Gaganyaan Project:
According to ATS, the conversation had sensitive papers, such as a Daily Production Report of Ordnance Factory Hazratpur (2024-25) that contained information about drones, the Gaganyaan project, and secret observations on store receipts. Apart from that, a Confidential Letter regarding a screening committee for MACP promotion and a Pending Requisition List of unaccounted stock were also exchanged on September 27, 2024, via WhatsApp.
It was also discovered on further probe that Kumar kept a secret meeting file of March 10, 2025, that held information regarding an Ordnance Factory official’s and members of the 51 Gorkha Rifles logistical drone trial held in Dehradun.
While being questioned, Kumar confessed to having shared the confidential documents but stated that he had no ill intention. Kumar said that he stored Neha Sharma’s number under a pseudonym in order to avoid his wife and others finding out about their interaction.
Seizures of Material:
The ATS seized:
•Five confidential documents
•Rs 6,220 in cash
•Mobile phone, ATM card, Aadhaar card, Voter ID, and PAN card
Legal Action:
Ravindra has been arrested under Section 148 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 and Sections 3/4/5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923. ATS officials underlined that Kumar’s activities posed a serious threat to India’s internal and external security.
The probe found that Kumar knowingly carried out this spying even though he was aware of Sharma’s connections to Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI. He allegedly sent sensitive information that could jeopardize national security. ATS assured that Kumar’s arrest and the confiscation of material were carried out in accordance with Supreme Court and Human Rights Commission guidelines.
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