Odisha: Photographer gets lifer for spying at ITR Chandipur

An Odisha court onThursday sentenced a photographer to lifetime imprisonment forspying at the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Balasoredistrict.

Additional District Court (1) Judge Girija PrasadMohapatra held Iswar Chandra Behera, a photographer engaged atDRDO laboratory at ITR on a contractual basis, guilty ofconspiracy and sharing vital information with Pakistan's ISIamong various foreign intelligence agencies.

The court also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on theconvict.

As per the prosecution, Behera was tracked andarrested by intelligence agencies for leaking vitalinformation and a police case was registered against him,which was later transferred to the crime branch.

He was convicted under sections 121 A (sedition) and120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, and 3, 4and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, a government counsel said.

The police confirmed that money was credited intoBehera's bank account from various countries, he said.

Behera, who hails from Kantipur village in Mayurbhanjdistrict, was employed as a photographer at the ITR on acontractual basis since 2007 at a monthly remuneration of Rs8,000. He was working in the CCTV section of the ITR's controltower.

The prosecution said that Behera was spying forPakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for 8-10 monthsprior to his arrest.

He was in constant touch with his handler over thephone and had met him at least 10 times during his trips toKolkata, a police official had said.

The prosecution said that Behera would take videos ofthe missile testing sites and later leave for Kolkata on thepretext of repairing his camera.

He also ensured his presence during the test-firing ofmissiles and the testing of cluster bombs by the DRDO andother agencies.

Behera also had prior information about the dates ofmissile testing and the types of missiles to be tested.

Police said that Behera used to hand over the videosand other vital information to the ISI agent at Kolkata.

The convict was under police surveillance long beforehis arrest.

Police had seized a computer, cell phone, hard disk,bank passbook and pen-drive from his house.