IAF officer arrested for allegedly leaking defence secrets after Pak-linked honey trap

A serving Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander has been arrested by the Delhi Police for allegedly leaking classified defence information and documents with a Pakistani intelligence operative after he was honey-trapped by a woman through social media, the Delhi Police said on Saturday (August 8). However, the 44-year-old officer’s name has not been disclosed.

Arrest revealed

According to a report in the Hindustan Times, quoting Delhi Police officers, the police disclosed the details of the arrest nearly 50 days after he was taken into custody on May 31.

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The Delhi Police said in a statement that a chargesheet has been filed in the case on July 30. “Based upon a complaint by Indian Airforce authorities, a serving air force officer was arrested on May 30 for allegations of being honey-trapped by a Pakistani Intelligence Operative. Post investigation, a charge sheet has been submitted before the competent court on July 30. The matter is sub judice,” said the statement as quoted by the Hindustan Times.

Espionage case

The accused has been reportedly booked under relevant sections of the Official Secrets Act (OSA), after a case was registered at the special cell police station. After being interrogated jointly by the special cell and central intelligence agencies, the accused was produced before a city court and remanded to judicial custody till June. The report further stated that he is currently lodged in Tihar jail.

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The report, quoting a police officer, stated that the IAF officer, who was reportedly dealing with issues in his personal life, was befriended by a woman on social media. The two not only sent text messages to each other but also had a telephonic conversation through a secured communication app.

Honey Trap allegation

“After gaining his trust, the woman tricked him into sharing confidential documents and sensitive details related to the Indian defence system through photographs and videos. She also asked him to allegedly install an app on his colleague’s mobile phone, which possibly acted as spyware or a remote access malware used for stealing a phone’s data and tracking its location,” the officer said as quoted in the report.

The report also quoted another police officer saying that the alleged act of espionage came to light after the IAF’s intelligence unit got to know about the activities of the accused through electronic surveillance and consequently shared evidence with the Delhi Police Special Cell.

“The special cell’s investigation indicated that the woman, who was used to honey-trap the wing commander, could be working for handlers based in Pakistan. She could be a member of a larger espionage network involved in collecting intelligence related to Indian defence system,” the second officer said as quoted in the report.