An Indian Air Force Group Captain arrested on Wednesday by Delhi Police on charges of espionage was allegedly seduced on Facebook by two agents of Pakistan’s ISI and used WhatsApp to pass on sensitive information to them.
Arun Marwaha, 51, was produced before a court on Thursday that sent him to police custody for five days.
According to a Delhi Police Special Cell officer privy to the investigation, Marwaha shared information and documents with two Pakistani agents who pretended to be women and chatted with him on Facebook. The fake accounts were in the names of Kiran Randhwa and Mahima Patel.
Marwaha allegedly used his smartphone to click pictures of the classified documents pertaining to the IAF headquarters and then sent them across via WhatsApp.
According to the Special Cell’s officer, Marwaha befriended the ISI agents who posed as women models a few months ago.
“They chatted regularly on WhatsApp... and also allegedly exchanged intimate messages. The ISI agents also honey-trapped him after obtaining some of his nude pictures,” the officer said, adding that after gaining Marwaha’s trust, the “Pakistani agents asked the officer for classified documents”.
“The documents which Marwaha shared mostly dealt with training and combat related air exercises. We also found he shared documents of Gagan Shakti, an exercise,” the officer added.
Special Cell’s special commissioner MM Oberoi said Marwaha was detained by the IAF on January 31 after his activities were found “suspicious”. The Air Force had approached the Delhi Police to investigate the case.
“He was arrested on Wednesday after a case was registered against him under the Official Secrets Act,” Oberoi said.
Marwaha is being questioned at the Special Cell’s headquarters in Lodhi Colony area of south Delhi. The police are also investigating if he had any accomplices.
Sources said Marwaha’s phone has been seized and sent for forensic examination.
“He has even confessed to have had access to many secret documents and plans due to his posting at the Air Force Headquarters in Delhi,” the source said.
