New Delhi, January 23
Rabinder Singh, a former RAW official, suspected of being a CIA mole and who disappeared after coming under the scanner is now living in New York.
Authoritative sources confirmed to The Tribune that Rabinder Singh had taken a circuitous route via Nepal receiving the CIA help and entered the USA in December. Rabinder Singh is living in a condominium along with his wife at Jackson Heights, New York.
This forms a part of the investigations done by former Intelligence Bureau chief M. K. Narayanan into Rabinder Singh’s disappearance. Mr Narayanan is now National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister.
The identification of Rabinder Singh’s location is only the tip of the iceberg. Suspicion is now centered on some of the property transactions that he is believed to have carried out for other senior RAW officials.
It now transpires that Rabinder Singh who has several relatives abroad, including close connections of his wife, is “facilitating’’ purchase of foreign properties abroad for some compromised officials.
These officials are the one’s who tipped him off and even helped him escape from India.
The sources say the government knew of Rabinder’s huge spread of properties including farmhouses.
Yet no action was taken. Till date his property has not been seized and the delay has led to disquiet in security circles.
A former IB Director says, “Rabinder Singh could not have left the country unless he was provided help by the government which seems to have clearly looked the other way. Once he came under surveillance, how could he outwit the watchers unless he is Houdini? In any case the silence on the issue is seriously worrisome.’’
The government is learnt to have confronted the Americans on the issue, but so far has been completely stonewalled on the subject. The view seems to be that the issue cannot be pushed too much.
Security experts are also worried at the gaping holes his defection has revealed. They say that the roles of other officials in the escape have to be probed and all gaps plugged since the American angle is critical to the country’s internal security.
Mr Narayanan is learnt to have recommended that action be taken against some other officials’ who are suspected of being involved in the defection. Besides, he has recommended that the surveillance mechanism be completely changed and exemplary deterrent action be taken.
