Pune DRDO scientist’s case adjourned, to be heard on June 30
A Pune court has adjourned the hearing of arrested DRDO scientist Dr Pradeep Kurulkar until June 30. Maharashtra ATS has made a Pakistani agent a co-accused in the espionage case and has requested permission to conduct a psychoanalysis test on the defence scientist. Dr Kurulkar was arrested on May 3 on charges of leaking confidential information to a woman Pakistani intelligence operative.
A Pune court on Monday adjourned the hearing in case of arrested Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientist Dr Pradeep Kurulkar and will hear the case on June 30. Dr Kurulkar’s lawyer advocate Rishikesh Ganu said, “We have filed our say before the court. Prosecution and us will argue on June 30.”
Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS ) on Wednesday informed the court that it has made the woman Pakistani agent a co-accused in the espionage case involving Dr Kurulkar. The ATS has also sought court’s permission to conduct psychoanalysis test on the defence scientist.
Dr Kurulkar, who was the Director of Research & Development Establishment (Engineers) (R&DE(E)), a premier Systems Engineering Laboratory of DRDO in Pune, was arrested by the ATS on May 3 on charges of leaking confidential information to a woman Pakistani intelligence operative as a DRDO scientist. According to the ATS officials, the woman operated under the name of Zara Dasgupta and was in touch with Kurulkar. After interacting with the Pakistani agent, he had blocked her phone number although the operative contacted the DRDO scientist using another number.
According to the complaint, Dr Kurulkar was in touch with a woman Pakistani Intelligence Operative through WhatsApp chat, audio messages and video calling and had allegedly shared sensitive security and defence related information with her.
Earlier, in its submissions before court, ATS had stated that their probe has revealed that an IAF officer based in Bengaluru was contacted by the PIO using the same internet protocol (IP) address traced to the neighbouring country.
