Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], June 14 (HBTV): A day after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted search operations at 15 locations across eight states in connection with a Pakistan-linked espionage case, Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma emphasised the BJP government’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy on national security, asserting that ‘we don't feed biryani to these people’.

‘The BJP government works with zero tolerance when it comes to issues related to national security. We don't feed biryani to these kinds of people in bungalows in Delhi. Their place is fixed in jail,’ Sharma told reporters.

The NIA conducted searches at the premises of suspects believed to be linked with Pakistan Intelligence Operatives (PIOs) in Delhi, Maharashtra (Mumbai), Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Assam, and West Bengal.

During the operation, NIA teams seized electronic devices, sensitive financial documents, and other incriminating material. The evidence is being examined for leads into an espionage racket allegedly orchestrated by Pakistan-based operatives as part of an anti-India terror conspiracy.

According to NIA investigations, the suspects targeted in the searches had direct links to Pakistani intelligence operatives and acted as financial conduits to facilitate espionage activities within India.

The case was registered on May 20 following the arrest of an accused who had reportedly been sharing sensitive information with PIOs since 2023. Investigators found that the accused had received funds through various channels in exchange for leaking classified national security information.

The investigation is ongoing. The case has been registered under sections 61(2), 147, and 148 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

(ANI)