The CBI has arrested a freelance defence journalist and a former navy officer from Delhi on espionage charges.

Journalist Vivek Raghuvanshi and his associate and former navy commander Ashish Pathak had allegedly collected sensitive information related to projects of the Defence Research Development Organisation and the future procurement of Indian armed forces and shared them with intelligence agencies of foreign countries.

On Tuesday, the CBI had conducted searches at 15 locations linked to theaccused persons in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Jaipur.

“Raghuvanshi is accused of being involved in the illegal collection of sensitive information on minute details of DRDO defence projects and their progress,” a CBI official said.

“Sensitive details about the future procurement of the Indian armed forces, revealing the country’s strategic preparedness, classified communications related to national security, and details of the strategic and diplomatic talks of India with its friendly countries were also accessed by the accused and shared with the foreign intelligence agencies,” the official added.

The CBI said it had seized 48 electronic devices, including laptops, tablets, mobile phones, hard disks and pen drives, belonging to the accused and others associated with them. “Besides, a number of incriminating documents relating to Indian defence establishments, have also been seized,” the CBI said in a statement.