Kashmir police probe Telangana farmer in spy case

JAGTIAL: A case of espionage in distant Jammu and Kashmir has found an echo in a remote village of Kushtapur in Mallapur Mandal in Jagtial district when the police from the newly-created union territory began questioning one farmer, Sarikella Linganna.

The espionage case referred to one Rakesh Kumar, a labourer in an Army camp in the UT, who allegedly leaked sensitive data about security installations to a suspected Pakistani girl who had “honey-trapped” him.

Arniya police in J&K, who were investigating the case, found that Linganna had transferred Rs 9,000 to the bank account of Rakesh Kumar and to get to the bottom of the case, they arrived in the village. Linganna allegedly transferred the money in two instalments -- Rs 5,000 on February 13, 2020 and Rs 4,000  on February 25.

According to Metpally Inspector of Police M Ravi Kumar, the Arniya police team, including an SI, one head constable and one constable, visited Kustapur and they were coordinating with the local police to unravel the Khustapur angle.

The Arnia police brought Linganna to police station and are questioning him why he had transferred the money to Rakesh Kumar. With police from J&K going around the village, tension prevailed in the area as the residents have no clue to what is happening around.

Sources in the police department said that Rakesh Kumar, a resident of Arniya, where he worked in an Army camp, made friendship with one Anita over Facebook, whom the police suspect is a Paksitani agent.
After arresting Linganna, Arniya police interrogated him and are trying to find out why he had sent the money to Rakesh Kumar. The police who arrested Rakesh Kumar on January 5, 2020, found out later that money had been deposited into his account by Linganna.

But Linganna denied the allegation of sending money to Rakesh. He told the police that he had sent the money to one of his relatives in Dubai  and that he did not know how the money went into Rakesh Kumar’s account.

The Arnia police are preparing to take Linganna to J&K after informing the magistrate of the Metpally court.