IAF officer held for leaking defence data to Pak operative; was 'honey-trapped' by woman on social media

The IAF wing commander was befriended by a Pakistani operative and has been charged under the Official Secrets Act for sharing critical defence information.

Police on Saturday said a 44-year-old serving Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander was arrested in May for allegedly sharing sensitive defence information and classified documents with a Pakistani intelligence operative after being honey-trapped by a woman on social media.

The IAF officer is currently lodged in Tihar jail. (Representational/HT Photo/Sanjeev Verma)

The officer’s name has not been disclosed, and the police shared details of his arrest nearly 50 days after he was taken into custody on May 30, according to officers aware of the matter.

The Delhi Police issued a statement saying that the investigating team submitted a charge sheet in the case before the concerned court on July 30.

Chargesheet filed for “honey-trapping”

“Based upon a complaint by Indian Airforce authorities, a serving airforce 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,” the statement said.

“He was under active surveillance and was handed over to the suitable law enforcement agencies” IAF spokesperson said.

The IAF officer was booked under the relevant sections of the Official Secrets Act (OSA) after a case was registered at the special cell police station. After his joint interrogation by the special cell and central intelligence agencies, the officer was produced before a city court that sent him to judicial custody in June. He is currently lodged in Tihar jail, the officers said.

Texts, telephonic conversations and an app

An officer said that the wing commander, who was reportedly facing issues in his personal life, was allegedly befriended by a woman on a social media platform earlier this year. They exchanged texts and also had telephonic conversations through a secured communication app.

“After gaining his trust, the woman tricked him into sharing confidential documents and sensitive details related to 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.

Another officer said that the alleged espionage matter came to light after the IAF’s intelligence wing learnt about the officer’s activities through electronic surveillance and shared details and evidence against him with the Delhi Police special cell. The officer was handed over to the special cell for legal action.

“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.