CBI arrests Canada-based businessman in defence espionage case

PTI, Aug 22, 2023, 7:43 PM IST

New Delhi: The CBI has arrested a Canada-based businessman in connection with a defence espionage case in which a journalist and a former Navy commander were held in May, officials said on Tuesday.

Rahul Gaggal, a businessman who had taken Permanent Residency in Canada in 2019, was arrested in the case when he landed here on Monday, they said. He has been sent to four days of custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by a special court, the officials said.

The agency had earlier arrested freelance journalist Vivek Raghuvanshi and former Navy commander Ashish Pathak for allegedly collecting sensitive information on defence matters and passing them on to foreign intelligence agencies.

In its charge sheet filed before a special court here last month, the CBI had named Raghuvanshi and Pathak as accused in the alleged violation of the Official Secrets Act and related offences, the officials said. Raghuvanshi and Pathak were arrested on May 16.