india

Updated: Jun 12, 2007 03:10 IST

The Delhi police are searching for a Bangladeshi who has been on the run for the past two years after it was found that he had concealed his nationality to get a job in the Research and Analysis Wing, the country’s external intelligence agency.

Diwan Chand Mallick had worked with the agency for six years before disappearing in May 2005.

“We believe he may have run away with some vital documents pertaining to the agency. We tried to trace him but all our efforts failed,” a senior police officer, who did not want to be named, said. “He was holding an extremely sensitive post and this is definitely dangerous as far as national interest is concerned.”

The officer said the recruitment process of the agency goes through several checks. “Any person who is recruited in R&AW has to undergo verification at three levels. The first one is by the agency itself, secondly by the local police and then the Local Intelligence Unit. It is baffling that his citizenship was not known even after that,” he said.

According to the police, Mallick had suppressed details about his family in the personal information questionnaire that he submitted for verification. “He had given his permanent address in 24 Paraganas, West Bengal,” said the officer.

K.K. Paul, commissioner of police, said he had no information on the case.

A case of cheating and forgery was registered at the Lodhi Colony police station on the basis of a complaint by a senior R&AW official on May 20, 2005.

In December last year, the police filed a report in which they said Mallick could not be traced. But the case is still open for investigations.

According to a police officer, Mallick, aged 30-something, joined the agency in 1999. He went underground soon after the police case was registered. “He used to live in Mayur Vihar area of east Delhi,” he said.