New Delhi: A serving Wing Commander of the Indian Air Force has been arrested in connection with allegations of leaking sensitive defence information through digital channels. The officer, who was posted with a field unit, has been booked under the Official Secrets Act and is currently in judicial custody.
The arrest took place on the night of May 31 after intelligence inputs from the Indian Air Force led Delhi Police to investigate the officer’s alleged activities. The case is being examined as part of a suspected espionage network involving the collection and transmission of strategic military information.
Investigators allege that the officer was approached by a woman through social media during a difficult period in his personal life. Their communication reportedly developed through chats and video calls, after which the woman allegedly began asking him for information concerning military movements and troop deployments.
The officer is accused of sharing photographs, videos, documents and other sensitive material through digital platforms. Investigators are also examining whether additional defence information was passed during their communication.
The investigation has also uncovered allegations that the officer was instructed to install a specific application on the mobile phone of a fellow officer. Police suspect the application had capabilities associated with spyware or remote access tools, potentially allowing the extraction of device data, location tracking or interception of communications.
Authorities are examining the purpose of the application and whether it was used to obtain information from the colleague’s device.
Investigators suspect that the woman who contacted the officer may have been working on instructions from handlers based in Pakistan. Police are examining the officer’s digital communications, the information allegedly shared and the wider network involved in the operation.
The Indian Air Force had reportedly placed the officer under surveillance after detecting suspicious activity before approaching the police. The investigation remains underway, with authorities assessing the extent of the alleged information leak and looking for possible links to other individuals involved in the suspected espionage network.
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