Delhi constable reports attempt by foreign intel agency to trap him via Facebook

The Delhi Police cop said the suspects, who initially offered Rs 5,000 that went up till Rs 1 lakh, wanted photographs of sensitive defence facilities.

Suspected foreign spies attempted to bribe a Delhi Police constable through Facebook into supplying photographs of sensitive defence facilities, said officials who launched an investigation after the policeman reported it to his seniors.

There have been several instances where suspected foreign spies have honeytrapped or approached India’s defence personnel via social media with offers to provide sensitive information. (HT File Photo)

The constable, whose identity is being protected in the interest of the investigation, said the suspects established contact through Facebook’s messenger application with an offer of Rs 5,000 that eventually went up till Rs 1 lakh, the officer investigating the case told Hindustan Times, asking not to be named.

“The constable said he is an active Facebook user and had through his photographs and account details revealed that he is a cop. He initially thought the calls made through the messenger were a prank,” the officer added.

The identity of the suspects is not yet clear and the account through which contact was made is now inactive, the officer said.

Similar attempts using social media had been made by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.

Last month, an Air Force officer was arrested for sharing secret information with two people, who are believed to have gained leverage on him through sexual chats. Police are yet to make headway in identifying the network behind the two Facebook profiles. The special cell, which is the anti-terror unit of the force, is probing the case and has collected documents that the officer had sent to his contacts via WhatsApp.

That case is under investigation by the police’s anti-terror unit, which is probing the constable’s case.

The investigator said that Facebook will be roped in to identify the internet address of the account that made contact with the constable.

If the internet protocol address is from outside the country, as it often is in such cases, Facebook is unlikely to disclose it as per its policy, he added.

Police officers posted in the Delhi Cantonment area have been issued a caution against such offers.

Located in the western part of the city, Delhi Cantonment houses the offices of the Indian Army in the Delhi area, residences of senior Army officers and defence installations. Most parts of the area, including the nearby Subroto Park, are out of bounds for civilians.

Police are yet to make headway in identifying the network behind the two Facebook profiles. The special cell, which is the anti-terror unit of the force, is probing the case and has collected documents that the officer had sent to his contacts via WhatsApp.