NIA starts interrogation of OTP sharing accused over ‘Pakistan link’

Bhubaneswar, July 10 (IANS) A team of National Investigation Agency (NIA) reached Bhubaneswar on Monday and started interrogation of arrested Abhijeet Sanjay Jambure, who was alleged in regular touch with some Pakistani intelligence officials.

The Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Police had arrested Abhijeet, a software company employee, from Pune, Maharashtra on June 29. He is now on four-day police remand, informed K.K. Panigrahi, superintendent of police, STF.

Abhijeet has links with at least seven Pakistan citizens and 10 Nigerian citizens through WhatsApp, said the SP.

A team of Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has interrogated Abhijit on Sunday while NIA team also started interrogating him on Monday as the accused was allegedly having direct touch with some Pakistan agents and Nigerian nationals.

Panigrahi said Abhijeet was in regular touch with two Pakistani intelligence officials for a long time. In 2018, he met Danish @ Syed Danish Ali Naqvi of Khanki, Faisalabad, Pakistan through Facebook messenger, who identified himself as a freelancer at Chegg (an American education technology company).

Abhijeet had shared his user ID and password of Chegg to Danish. Danish was working in Chegg on Abhijeet’s identity but the earnings were credited in Abhijeet’s account in India. Against his ‘favour’, Abhijeet had to do some ‘work’ for Danish, he said.

Danish introduced him (Abhijeet) to his friend namely Khurram allies Abdul Hamid of Karachi, Pakistan. Khurram is believed to be a senior Pakistan Army intelligence officer having a big base/network of agents in India. And as per instruction of Khurram, he used to transfer money to various PIOs working in India, the SP said.

Abhijeet had transferred money to Pathani Samant Lenka, who was earlier arrested by the STF in connection to the OTP sharing scam. 

The police and different agencies questioned the accused Abhijit to know more details about the Pakistani agents, whether he has shared any vital information with them and whether he was having any link with other PIOs in India, sources said. 

So far, six persons have been arrested for sharing OTP of pre-activated SIMs to some criminals and suspected Pakistani agents.