A Himachal Pradesh cadre IPS officer, Arvind Negi, is under the scanner of the NIA in the Khurram Parvez case, as allegations of corruption and espionage against him are being probed. On deputation to the central agency till earlier this year, Negi is a decorated officer.
“The probe began after an intelligence input that the details of investigation into crucial cases were being shared with (Pakistan’s) ISI by the officer concerned,” an official in the security grid told News18. The allegation is that Negi passed on the case diary in crucial investigations to ISI.
Other than human rights activist Khurram Parvez, a Baramulla resident Muneer Chowdhary has also been arrested in this case. Muneer is associated with cross-LOC trade. As an NIA officer, Negi probed Kashmir cases like Hurriyat terror funding and also NGO terror links when Parvez was raided last year.
“All I can say is that facts are being verified in this case,” an NIA spokesperson told News18, when asked if Negi was being probed for espionage.
Sources, however, said the officer had already appeared before the NIA twice to present his side with regard to the allegations. “The suspicion is that he traded crucial case documents in lieu of money. Investigating agencies are probing his assets, etc,” an officer said.
The former NIA officer’s premises in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh, were one of the three locations raided by NIA on November 22. The other two were Sonwar and Amirakadal in Srinagar — the residence and office of Parvez.
On November 23, when asked about Negi’s role in the case, the NIA had said, “Verification of certain facts revealed from the arrested accused are being done.”
Officials from the NIA said during searches, electronic devices were seized and sent for forensic analysis. The agency has also maintained that the case agaisnt Parvez is due to his connections with Lashkar overground workers and not in connection with the 2020 case that Negi had also probed.
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