Indo-China border issue, inputs on Dalai Lama among information seized from arrested scribe

New Delhi: Less than a week after being arrested under the Official Secrets Act (OSA), Delhi Police on Saturday said they have recovered confidential documents concerning the country's national security and foreign relations after searching the Pitampura house of freelance journalist Rajeev Sharma, which he allegedly supplied to Chinese foreign intelligence agencies.

The Special Cell, which is investigating the case, have also arrested a Chinese woman, Qing Shi (30) and her Nepalese aide Sher Singh (30), who allegedly controlled shell companies that functioned as hawala channels to funnel money into Sharma's account.

The incident came to the fore when police received a tip-off from an intelligence agency claiming that Sharma was receiving money through illegal means in exchange of providing sensitive information concerning national security. Consequently, a case was filed under OSA Act by Special Cell on September 13 and the scribe was arrested a day later.

During interrogation, Sharma allegedly admitted to his involvement in sending sensitive information in the form of reports through different channels to his handlers namely Michael and George, based in Kunming in China, and he further claimed that he was accordingly paid for it, Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, DCP, Special Cell, said.

"During 2010-2014, the scribe wrote a weekly column for Chinese government mouthpiece Global Times, observing which he was contacted by Chinese intelligence agent, Michael, through his LinkedIn account, who called him to Kunming for an interview in a Chinese Media Company," the DCP said.

During the meeting, Michael and his subordinate Xou asked Sharma to provide information on various aspects of India-China relationship and between 2016 and 2018, he was tasked to provide information on Indian deployments on Bhutan-Sikkim-China tri-junction including Doklam, the pattern of India-Myanmar military co-operation, India-China border issue, among other inputs. "Sharma also had meetings with them in Laos and Maldives and was in touch with them

through online channels," DCP Yadav said.

"In January, in 2019, Sharma allegedly got in touch with another Kumming based Chinese entity, George, General Manager of a Chinese Media Company, who asked him to write or gather information about issues related to the Dalai Lama, for which he was allegedly offered a sum of USD 500 per article," the DCP said. George said he would send him the money through his sister's company based in Mahipalpur, operated by a Chinese lady Qing.

According to police, Sharma has received Rs 30 lakh for the same and had several meetings with George in Malaysia and Kumming.

The investigation also revealed that shell companies called MZ Pharmacy and MZ Malls, were being operated under fake names, by a Chinese couple though Quing Shi and Nepalese national Sher Singh, who have also been arrested, the DCP added. While Sharma has been sent to a six-day custody, his bail hearing has been posted to September 22.