A contractual worker was arrested by the Gujarat unit of the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) for allegedly sharing sensitive information regarding the movement of Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ships. Dipesh used to get Rs 200 per day in exchange for sending information about the Coast Guard's boats, and had received Rs 42,000 from a Pakistani agent.
The man, identified as Dipesh Gohil, worked at the Okha port, and had been in touch with the Pakistani spy, whom he got into contact with through Facebook.
The spy used the alias "Sahima" and after befriending Dipesh on Facebook, remained in touch with him on WhatsApp. The agent had asked Dipesh for the name and number of the Coast Guard boat stationed at Okha port.
The identity of the agent remains unclear.
Gujarat ATS officer K Siddharth said, “We received information that a man from Okha was sharing details about the Coast Guard boat with an agent of Pakistan’s Navy or the ISI through WhatsApp. Following an investigation, we arrested Dipesh Gohil, a resident of Okha. The number Dipesh was in contact with was traced to Pakistan."
According to the ATS, Dipesh had easy access to the vessels stationed at the Okha port.
He got Rs 200 per day for providing information to the Pakistani spy, and since he did not have an account, got the money transferred to his friend's account. He then took money in cash from his friend, saying that it was money for welding work. He had received Rs 42,000 from the agent.
K Siddharth said, “Pakistan’s Navy or ISI agents are seeking people who can provide information about Indian Coast Guard boats for a small sum. For a long time, Gujarat’s Anti-Terrorism Squad, working with the Coast Guard, has been intercepting drugs along India’s maritime borders. In such cases, details about Coast Guard boats could be valuable to Pakistan’s military and agents. During a conflict, sharing this information could be especially dangerous for us.”
Earlier last month, Gujarat ATS arrested a person named Pankaj Kotia from Porbandar for sending information about the Coast Guard boat to a Pakistani spy.
Source: India Today