The chargesheet filed by Maharashtra Police’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in the high-profile case involving a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientist reveals startling details of a honey trap operation that led to sensitive information getting leaked.
The chargesheet, obtained exclusively by CNN News18, reveals details of a honey trap operation that compromised sensitive information related to missile systems and other defense programmes.
DRDO scientist Pradeep Kurulkar was arrested on May 3 under the Official Secrets Act and is now in judicial custody. Kurulkar and Pakistani Intelligence Operative `Zara Dasgupta’ were in contact through WhatsApp as well as voice and video calls, the charge sheet said.
‘Dasgupta’ claimed to be a software engineer based in the UK and befriended him by sending obscene messages and videos. During investigation, her IP address was traced to Pakistan, the ATS said in the charge sheet.
According to the chargesheet, the woman, who operated under the aliases of Zara Das and Juhi. The operative, believed to be based in the UK with a +44 country code, used the DRDO scientist’s desire for an intimate relationships to extract crucial information from him.
Investigation found that the scientist openly discussed sensitive topics including the Rafael and Aakash missile systems with the woman. It is alleged that the he also provided detailed structural information about the missile systems, as well as information about other defense programmes.
News18 has learnt that the woman, who referred to Kurulkar as “Babe,” also managed to obtain information about the DRDO’s Robotic programme during their conversations.
The chargesheet revealed that their communication primarily took place between September 2022 and February 2023.
The woman has also given email IDs and their password to upload the details and asked him to download apps made with malware, sources said, adding that these apps use all data of the downloaded phones and connected emails.
As the investigations progressed, it was discovered that the scientist’s activities were being tracked from Islamabad, Pakistan, indicating a possible involvement of the Pakistani intelligence agency, ISI.
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