Mumbai: The Maharashtra State Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested a senior Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) official in Pune in what it terms as a case of “honey trap”. The 59-year-old scientist, Pradeep M. Kurulkar, has been charged under the stringent Official Secrets Act for allegedly indulging in “wrongful communication” with an alleged Pakistan intelligence operative.
Kurulkar was arrested and produced before special judge S.R. Navander in Pune. He has been sent to ATS custody until May 9.
A senior ATS officer told The Wire that the agency sprung into action following an internal complaint made by an official from the DRDO’s vigilance and security office, based in Delhi. The investigation, the ATS official claimed, had begun as early as in February. Kurulkar’s personal laptop and two mobile handsets were seized by the vigilance team and the internal inquiry had found communication established between Kururlkar and a Pakistan-based intelligence official, an ATS officer who is privy to the investigation said.
“Initial investigation has shown that Kurulkar, along with sharing a few of his personal photographs, had also shared highly sensitive details of missiles along with its exact placement,” the ATS officer claimed.
The ATS claims that a Pakistani agent had first befriended Kurulkar and later introduced a woman on a social media platform. This woman, the investigating agency claims, posed as an engineering student and approached Kurulkar to “conduct research” on a few engineering equipment. “In no time, the two had become friends and were found exchanging messages on the phone,” the ATS officer said. These alleged chats and video calls, according to the ATS, were later used to blackmail Kurulkar into sharing sensitive information.
The DRDO is the premier agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India which is charged with the military’s research and development work.
Kurulkar, a high-profile scientist, was involved in many sensitive operations of the DRDO, including the development of many launchers for missiles. In his career, spanning over three decades at the DRDO, Kurulkar has won several accolades.
