In a top-secret intelligence operation, Delhi Police¡¯s special cell has arrested an alleged Chinese spy for reportedly running an espionage ring in the country. The suspect has been identified as Charlie Peng (39).
The arrest was made on September 13 from north Delhi¡¯s Majnu ka Tila and the suspect has been in custody since then. On Thursday, cops produced Peng in the court of chief metropolitan magistrate Deepak Sehrawat and obtained an extension of remand till Monday. The police informed the court that the accused was involved in ¡°anti-national¡± activities and they needed more time to interrogate him.
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The police said they had recovered an Indian passport and an Aadhaar card from the accused. While the passport has been issued from Manipur, the Aadhaar card has the address of a residential society in southwest Delhi¡¯s Dwarka.
Police also recovered a Fortuner SUV, Rs 3.5 lakh in Indian currency, 2,000 dollars and 22,000 in Thai currency. According to the documents, the accused was living in DLF Gurgaon and was running a company from a plush office in the same area.
Peng came under the radar after sleuths of an intelligence agency tracked his movements to northeastern states as well as some places in Himachal Pradesh. The police have learnt that the accused belongs to Nanjing area in China and suspect that he is a highly trained agent. He crossed over to India around five years ago, married an Indian girl and, then, managed to get a passport from Manipur a few months ago. He allegedly opened a currency exchange firm, which police suspect, was a front for hawala activities.
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Raids are being conducted to round up people who helped Peng get a passport and Aadhaar card. An FIR under several sections has been filed by the sleuths of the New Delhi Range of the special cell.
The cops are now trying to ascertain if the suspect has any links with the People's Liberation Army of China or the People's Armed Police Force. In 2013, the security personnel had arrested a Chinese agent named Pema Tserning in Dharamsala where the exiled Tibetan leader Dalai Lama resides.
Last December, a Chinese national suspected to be a spy was apprehended by the Army in Manipur. The accused, identified as Qin Min Xiv Xiang, 55, allegedly belonged to Fuzian province of China.