Gujarat: BSF employee 'honey-trapped' by Pak woman agent; arrested
Ahmedabad, Jul 8: A contractual employee working for the Border Security Force (BSF) at Bhuj in Gujarat has been arrested for allegedly sharing sensitive information with a woman Pakistani intelligence agent, officials said on Saturday.
Nilesh Balia, the accused, has passed Std 12th and was working as a peon in the electrical department office of the Central Public Works Department at the BSF headquarters at Bhuj for the last five years, they said.
The state Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) which arrested him on Friday would be producing him before a court and seek his custody, said a senior official.
Balia came in contact with the Pakistani agent sometime in January 2023, and shared several sensitive documents regarding electrification work in the under-construction and existing BSF buildings and also some documents related to civil departments with her, said Sunil Joshi, Superintendent of Police, ATS.
The woman contacted the accused through WhatsApp. She `honey-trapped' him and persuaded him to share sensitive information for money, Joshi told reporters.
The agent identified herself as `Aditi Tiwari' and claimed to be working in a private firm. She needed the information for her job and he would be paid for it, she told Balia.
As part of the "love affair," the accused, who told the woman that he was a computer operator, shared sensitive information with her while accepting money for it, the SP said.
He was allegedly paid a total of Rs 28,800 through UPI transactions.
The ATS will analyse his phone and bank accounts and probe who else he had been in contact with, the official said.
After getting a tip-off about his activities, the ATS kept him under watch and analysed his phone records and bank accounts before calling him in for questioning.
Balia was booked under Indian Penal Code sections 121-A (conspiracy to commit offences punishable by section 121 related to waging war against the Government of India), 123 (concealing with intent to facilitate design to wage war) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) besides the Official Secrets Act.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
