Held for ‘Pakistan links’, DRDO scientist’s custody extended till May 15

The court of Additional Sessions Judge S R Navandar extended Kurulkar’s custody with the Maharashtra Anti Terroism Squad (ATS) by seven days. The ATS officials told the court that on Tuesday, they received the report from the forensic analysis of the data retrieved from Kurulkar’s seized electronic devices. This data was being analysed further.

The ATS registered an FIR in the case and arrested Kurulkar on the evening May 3, following a complaint filed by a senior officer of the Vigilance and Security Department of the DRDO. He was produced before the court in Pune on May 4 and was remanded in the custody of the ATS till Tuesday. He was again produced before the court where the ATS officials sought an extension of his custody for further investigation.

Meanwhile, sources from the DRDO said that within days after his arrest, Kurulkar was placed under suspension as per the procedure. Kurulkar has been booked under provisions of the Official Secrets Act (OSA) pertaining to spying and wrongful communication.

Kurulkar is due for retirement in November, ATS officials said. (Express photo by Arul Horizon)

ATS officials have told The Indian Express earlier that they suspect this to be a case of honeytrap in which the senior scientist had come into contact with Pakistan-based intelligence operatives after he was trapped using photos of women on social media platforms. He was in contact with the Pakistan-based operatives through voice messages and video calls from September-October last year and is suspected to have shared sensitive information with the operatives, officials said.

In its first remand application, seeking Kurulkar’s custody, the ATS had informed the court that Kurulkar is known to have visited several foreign countries and it was being investigated whether he held meetings with Pakistani operatives during these visits.

According to DRDO’s official website, Kurulkar has played a key role in several strategically significant projects of the organisation, including the nuclear-capable Agni missile series, Mission Shakti, which was an anti-satellite missile test, in addition to several other missile and strategic defence systems.

ATS officials told The Indian Express that he was transferred out from his position as director a few days before his arrest and posted at another DRDO entity in Pune, in an internal transfer. Kurulkar is due for retirement in November, ATS officials said.

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Meanwhile, the city unit of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by its chief Prashant Jagtap and spokesperson Pradeep Deshmukh, staged a protest near Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir against Kurulkar. The protesters demanded the death sentence for the scientist while accusing him of being an “agent of Pakistan”.