(Representational Image)  |  Photo Credit: PTI
Key Highlights
- In October 2020, NIA team led by Negi raided residence of Khurram Parvez in Srinagar. Khurram was not arrested then. A year later, Khurram and five others were arrested.
- Negi is accused of leaking official secret documents and classified information to an overground worker of Lashkar-e-Taiba.
- As an investigating officer of J&K terror funding case since 2017, Negi won accolades. He was awarded with police medal for meritorious services.
New Delhi: National Investigation Agency has arrested an Indian Police Service officer who was earlier on deputation with the probe agency as SP. Arvind Digvijay Negi has been arrested on charges of leaking classified information and helping an overground worker of Lashkar-e-Taiba.
This is the first time that the NIA has arrested an IPS officer on terror charges. Negi had a long stint and an illustrious stint at NIA. In the federal probe agency, Negi investigated several high-profile cases including the J&K terror funding case which was registered in May 2017. The case saw several Hurriyat leaders being arrested and charge-sheeted.
For his investigations, Negi was awarded a police medal for meritorious service. At the time of arrest, Negi was posted as superintendent of police in Shimla. Negi got promoted to IPS in 2011 and was given Himachal Pradesh cadre. “The NIA arrested an accused namely Arvind Digvijay Negi in connection with an investigation of NIA case,” said the federal probe agency in a statement on Friday.
Last November, the NIA had registered a case relating to the spread of a “wide network of overground workers of Lashkar-e-Taiba” and providing support in planning and execution of terror activities in India. Earlier NIA had arrested six accused persons in the case.
It has been alleged that in October 2020 the NIA team led by Negi had carried out searches at the residence of Kashmiri “activist” Khurram Parvez in Srinagar but he was not arrested. Parvez and others were arrested last November. Allegations are that Negi reportedly leaked sensitive classified information and later central intelligence agencies found evidence of this.
Late last year he sought early repatriation to his parent cadre from NIA and since then was posted as SP at Shimla. Searches were conducted at his residences in Shimla and Kinnaur. Electronic gadgets including official and personal mobile phones were seized for forensic examination.
Based on forensic analysis of electronic gadgets and emails evidence was gathered. Before placing him under arrest Negi was questioned and confronted with forensic and technical evidence.
NIA says Ajay Digvijay Negi leaked official secret documents.”During the investigation, the role of A. D. Negi, IPS, SP posted at Shimla (since repatriated from NIA) was verified and his houses were searched. It was also found that official secret documents of NIA were leaked by AD Negi to another accused person who is an OGW of LeT in the case,” said NIA.