lucknow

Updated: Aug 06, 2017 10:51 IST

Details of Indian army’s firing and shelling drills are suspected to have been leaked to foreign spies by a mole in the office of a Jhansi sub-divisional magistrate, an investigation by the Uttar Pradesh anti-terrorism squad (ATS) has determined.

Internet calls from outside the country were traced the SDM office in Jhansi, according to officials aware of the investigation, and five employees are under surveillance for possibly leaking critical information to spies based abroad. The officials did not wish to be named, and the nationality of the spies is yet to be ascertained.

The army had shared the details of their practice with the SDM’s office and the police station at the Jhansi Cantonment, the sources said.

“The ATS is checking their bank account details, as the informer would certainly have received money from unknown sources for this information,” a source said.

Computers, laptops and pen drives have been recovered from these suspects and are being examined. “The mole will soon be identified and action will be taken on the basis of the evidence,” said the source.

The possible espionage racket first came to light when the ATS started tracking internet calls that were being routed to the SDM office. A team was rushed shortly.