Oren (spy) facts for kids

Oren was the codename for a double agent during World War I. He worked for both sides. He was a Baltic-German spy. British Intelligence gave him this codename. He operated in South-East Asia.

Who Was Oren?

Oren's real name is not known. People believe he was from Sweden. Some sources say he was a Baltic German. This means he was a German person from the Baltic Sea region.

Oren's Spy Work

Oren shared important secrets with the British. He gave information to W.E. Beckett. Beckett was the British Consul in Batavia. Another German agent, Vincent Kraft, also shared information.

Uncovering Secret Plans

Oren's information helped the British. It helped them learn about the Hindu–German Conspiracy. This was a secret plan. Germany and some Indian groups worked together. They wanted to send weapons to India. These weapons were for a rebellion. The plan was to ship them on a boat called the SS Maverick in June 1915.

Oren also gave details about other plans. He told the British about Jatindranath Mukherjee's agent. This agent was Narendranath Bhattacharya. They were meeting with German officials in South-East Asia. Oren also revealed Jatin's plans. These were plans for a revolt in the Indian Army. This revolt was planned for Bengal in August 1915.

Stopping the Maverick

Thanks to Oren's intelligence, the Maverick was stopped. This prevented the weapons from reaching India. At the same time, police in India took action. They broke up a secret group in Calcutta.

Jatin, unaware of this, went to the coast. He went to Balasore in the Bay of Bengal. Indian police followed him there. On September 9, 1915, Jatin and five other people fought the police. They had Mauser pistols. Jatin was badly hurt in the fight. He died the next day in Balasore.

Oren's true identity was never revealed. W.E. Beckett kept it a secret.