November 11, 2003	Tuesday	Ramazan 15, 1424

NEW YORK, Nov 10: Sitaram Rai Mahadevan, an engineer of Indian origin, was arrested by the local police on the charges of sending blueprints of specialized valves considered critical parts of a nuclear plant.

Mr Sitaram was allegedly sending these blueprints to a company’s office knowing that they would be sent to North Korea.

The US District Attorney said Sitaram, 40, shipped the blueprints to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, in New York, one of the firms involved in the construction of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization’s nuclear plant in Yongbyon, North Korea.

Sitaram, who has a permanent residency status in the United States, was arrested in the first week of this month. He was subsequently released on bail of 750,000 dollars and could get up to ten years in prison and a fine of 250,000 dollars if convicted.

The prosecution said his application for a licence for export of similar valves along with documentation to India was rejected last year.

The criminal complaint said that blueprints could be used to produce Valves that are critical in the operation of a nuclear plant. —APP