ITI teacher was in touch with Pak terror outfit: STF

BHUBANESWAR: Teacher Pathanisamanta Lenka, who along with two others, was arrested by the special task force (STF) of state Crime Branch last week for allegedly obtaining pre-activated SIM cards and selling OTPs to Pakistani operatives to help them commit crimes, was allegedly in direct touch with a terror outfit in Pakistan, according to STF sources. This apart, the STF has come to know of Lenka's alleged link with two more Pakistani agents, who were arrested in Gujarat recently. Earlier, the STF had ascertained Lenka's alleged link with two Pakistani spies, including a woman, in Rajasthan and West Bengal.
"We have got some credible evidence against Lenka for his connection with some agents in Pakistan. He was aware of their anti-national activities and knowingly supplied them pre-activated SIMs. Some more inputs are under verification. We will take him on remand," said STF's inspector general of police J N Pankaj
Lenka (35) and his two associates Saroj Nayak (26) and Soumya Pattnaik (19) were arrested on May 14 for selling fake SIMs and OTPs to Pakistani agents to help them create social media platforms to carry out anti-national activities like spying, communication with terrorists, radicalization, running anti-India propaganda, fuelling anti-India or divisive sentiments on social media, sextortion and honey-trapping.
"We initially thought Lenka did all this for money without knowing the motive of his clients. But his links with some arrested Pakistani agents in India and frequent chats on WhatsApp indicate his nexus with them which is against the interest of the country," Pankaj said.
Lenka, who worked as a teacher in an industrial training institute (ITI), was in contact with one Guddu Kumar, whom the West Bengal STF arrested last year for passing on sensitive information, including photographs of certain strategic locations in North Bengal to his handlers in Pakistan. He was also in touch with a Patna-based woman, who was arrested by Rajasthan police recently for her alleged ties with some Pakistani agents. The STF has moved the National Payments Corporation of India, seeking details of the UPI transactions of Lenka and his two associates.