IAF wing commander ‘honey-trapped’ by Pak operatives; arrested, charged for allegedly leaking defence info
NEW DELHI: A serving Wing Commander of the Indian Air Force has been arrested and chargesheeted for allegedly leaking sensitive defence-related information after being “honey-trapped” through social media by Pakistani intelligence operatives.The IAF officer, arrested by Delhi Police on May 30, is accused of leaking classified defence documents and sensitive strategic information. He is also accused of installing data-stealing software on a colleague’s mobile phone in an alleged attempt to gain control of the device. The software acted as covert remote-access malware, capable of tracking real-time locations, intercepting communication logs and extracting stored data from the secondary device.“He (officer) was under active surveillance and was handed over to the suitable law enforcement agencies,” the IAF spokesperson said. Reaffirming its “zero tolerance” for such offences, IAF said, “Due to proactive measures, he was caught.”A source told TOI that the “officer was under IAF surveillance for a few months” and after observing him, the Intelligence Bureau was alerted about the Wing Commander’s activities.After being informed by IAF’s intelligence wing, Delhi Police arrested the officer, and he is currently lodged in Tihar jail in judicial custody. The 44-year-old’s name has, however, not been disclosed by Delhi police as the case is sub judice.The Wing Commander has been booked under provisions of the Official Secrets Act for allegedly leaking classified information and confidential documents related to defence.Delhi police sources said it all started after the IAF officer met a woman on social media and started chatting with her. The woman allegedly gained his trust and later began seeking information related to military activities. After a thorough investigation, police filed the chargesheet before a Saket court on July 30.In a similar case in 2018, Group Captain Arun Marwah was arrested by Delhi Police for leaking classified documents and sensitive military information to intelligence operatives he befriended on Facebook.Last year, a resident of Alwar was arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI, police said. The accused, Mangat Singh, was also allegedly honey-trapped by a Pakistani woman handler posing under the pseudonym Isha Sharma, who offered him money in exchange for cooperation, they said. During a surveillance operation in the cantonment area of Alwar, Singh’s activities were found to be suspicious, and he was caught.
