NEW DELHI : Freelance journalist Rajeev Sharma has been arrested by the Special Cell in a case under the Official Secrets Act and is being interrogated, Delhi Police said on Friday.
journalist has been arrested for allegedly passing on sensitive information to Chinese intelligence. He was also found possessing classified documents.
“He was found to be in possession of some defence-related classified documents,” Sanjeev Yadav, DCP, Special Cell, said. Sharma, a senior journalist who worked for various newspapers and news agencies, was arrested on Monday and was produced the next day before a Delhi court, which sent him to six-day police custody.
After his arrest, the Delhi Police seized his laptop, his mobile phone and are scanning his call detail records to know with whom he was in contact. Sources said that Delhi Police got secret information about his involvement in procurement of classified documents and hence he was arrested by the Special Cell under the Official Secrets Act.
The Special Cell is interrogating him to know how he procured classified defence-related documents and if there is an involvement of more people. Following his arrest, his Twitter account is flashing a message that the account showed suspicious activity and hence, has been restricted. Sharma was also supposed to be one of the many victims of the alleged Pegasus snooping.
Mirror Now’s Bhavatosh Singh says the police intelligence issued an official statement on Saturday. Indian Law Enforcement has for the first time accused Chinese government for espionage. Rajeev Sharma was working as a freelance journalist and writing articles for various websites.

The Delhi Police said it has also arrested a Chinese woman and her Nepalese associate, and claimed that they were paying huge amounts of money to the freelance journalist Rajeev Sharma for allegedly providing sensitive information.

Chinese intelligence tasked the journalist for conveying sensitive information in lieu of large amounts of money,” the police said. “Huge number of  incriminating and sensitive material have been recovered,” the police said.
“He was found to be in possession of some classified defence-related documents. The investigation is in progress and further details will be shared in due course,” senior police officer Sanjeev Kumar Yadav had said on Friday.

The arrests come amid a months-long border standoff between India and China in Ladakh that peaked on June 15, when 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the line of duty – a first in more than four decades. Even after that, there have been repeated attempts by the Chinese troops to recapture the heights occupied by the Indian soldiers.

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