NIA arrests its own former SP-rank officer for leaking secret information to LeT terrorists [details]

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday arrested IPS officer and its ex-Superintendent of Police (SP) Arvind Digvijay Negi for allegedly leaking secret documents to an Over Ground Worker (OGW) of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group.

"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 A. D. Negi to another accused person who is an OGW of LeT in the case", NIA stated in its official communique.

According to reports, Negi, a police officer who was promoted to the IPS batch of 2011, was arrested in connection with a case registered by the NIA on November 6, 2021.

The case pertains to the spread of a network of Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) for providing support in the planning and execution of terrorist activities in India.

Negi completes the longest tenure in NIA

Promoted to the IPS in 2016, Negi was repatriated to his cadre after completion of 11 years and three months of deputation to the NIA - one of the longest tenures in the anti-terror probe agency since its inception following the terror attack in Mumbai in 2008.

Reports said Negi has probed fake currency and IS recruitment cases during his stint at NIA. He was also instrumental in cracking the MBBS admission scam in Himachal. Negi was part of the Dy.SP Davinder Singh case and arrest of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Waheed Para and cross-border/Line of Control (LoC) trade case.

Negi's house was raided in November 2021

Already facing investigation over allegations of extortion and espionage and Nagi was summoned twice by the NIA after his house in the Kinnaur area of Himachal Pradesh was raided by the agency in November 2021.

Negi was part of the NIA team probing an NGO- terrorism funding case, allegedly leaked sensitive information to Khurram Parvez, a human rights activist who has been booked by the agency in a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). He allegedly passed on some crucial information related to the investigation of the case to the main accused.

This sensitive information was being passed on by the officer and his aides in exchange for huge amounts of money, reports said.

A case of conspiracy has been registered in this regard but Negi has not been named as an accused.

The NIA had also arrested Muneer Choudhary, a businessman who was doing cross LoC trade. He had been in touch with Negi and during his questioning Negi's name surfaced.

Negi was part of the probe team that carried out searches at Khurram Parvez's residence in October 2020 as part of the NGO-terror funding case. Negi was awarded the Police Medal for meritorious service after investigating the Hurriyat terror funding case.