The Crime Branch wing of Odisha Police, probing the Development Organisation (DRDO) espionage case, would seek the assistance of the Interpol to elicit further clues and antecedents of the woman handler who had befriended the arrested accused persons in the passing classified information to suspected subversive elements from the defence establishment.

The role of an elusive woman operative in the espionage case has been collaboratively established. She was in constant touch with those arrested in the espionage case. The accused persons who were questioned after being taken under police remand have confessed to have maintained constant touch with the woman though various social media accounts and mobile phone, said senior officials of Crime Branch.

“The woman operative used a virtual number from the United Kingdom to trap the accused persons. The phone number was rerouted through several IP addresses to conceal its originating location. The photograph of the woman operative has already been acquired. The footage of the handler’ video conference calls with the accused were also obtained. To make further inroads into the case, the Crime Branch will seek Interpol’s help as the international body facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime control”, the Crime Branch Additional Director General of police, Sanjeev Panda told reporters on Wednesday.

We may bring the accused persons for remand for the second occasion for further questioning, he added.

The crime branch police had earlier found money trail from Dubai and role of a woman operative in passing classified information to suspected Pakistani agents from the defence establishment.

Their bank, social media account details and the telephones of the accused persons were subjected to forensic analysis for expediting the probe. The principal focus of the investigation of the sensational espionage is on to ascertain what information they have shared with whom and who else are involved, the officials said while refusing to divulge further details.

It may be recalled here that the Odisha Police had nabbed the five ITR employees on September 13 and 16 for allegedly passing on vital information from the establishment of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to a Pakistani spy in lieu of money.