DRDO espionage case: Pakistan operative ‘linked’ to top scientist also contacted IAF personnel, ATS tells Pune court

The ATS produced before the special court a statement of the IAF personnel that was recorded before a magistrate court in Pune under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). Sources told The Indian Express that the IAF personnel was not a commissioned officer. Officials said the personnel has not been made an accused in the case yet but is facing a separate internal inquiry.

The ATS also told the court that the IAF personnel was contacted by the Pakistani operative from the same IP address that was allegedly used for communication with Kurulkar. According to the ATS, the contact with the IAF personnel was allegedly made by the Pakistani operative in a manner similar to that with Kurulkar during the same period. Similar social media profiles were used for this communication, the ATS told the court.

Meanwhile, the custodial remand of Kurulkar, 59, who was arrested in Pune this month on charges of espionage and wrongful communication with Pakistani operatives in a suspected case of honeytrap, was extended by one day till May 16.

The ATS arrested Kurulkar on the evening of May 3, following a complaint filed by a senior officer of the Vigilance and Security Department of the DRDO. He has been booked under provisions of the Official Secrets Act (OSA) pertaining to spying and wrongful communication. Following his arrest, he was placed under suspension as per procedure.

According to the ATS, the DRDO had first received information about Kurulkar allegedly contacting the Pakistan operative. Subsequently, as per “procedure”, various electronic devices used by the accused, including cell phones, laptop and desktop hard discs, were seized by DRDO officials on February 24, 2023, for forensic investigation.

Thereafter, according to the ATS, a probe by DRDO’s internal standing committee and a forensic report showed that the accused was allegedly in constant touch with a female Pakistani operative through “WhatsApp messages, voice and video calls”, and shared sensitive information with her.

Kurulkar was produced before the special court in Pune for the first time on May 4. The ATS had then informed the court that Kurulkar is known to have visited several foreign countries and that it was probing whether he held meetings with the Pakistani operative during these visits. The court extended his ATS custody for further probe till May 9, and again till May 15.

On Monday, an ATS team led by inspector Sujata Tanawade produced Kurulkar before the court of special judge P P Jadhav and sought his custody for a day. At the hearing, public prosecutor Chandrakiran Salvi submitted that the ATS has received a forensic report of the mobile phone seized from Kurulkar. The phone was opened in front of Kurulkar Monday and screenshots were taken, which required further investigation, said Salvi.

According to the ATS, the information retrieved from the phone included a message to Kurulkar from a “Pakistani Intelligence Operative (PIO)” using an Indian number and asking: “Why have you blocked me”.

The ATS also told the court that a cyber investigation is being conducted into the social media accounts, including Facebook, used by the operative who contacted Kurulkar. The ATS submitted that it is also analysing the “reverse call detail records (CDR)” of the international number used by the operative.

The ATS stated that it was yet to get details from the DRDO on alleged meetings held between Kurulkar and “some women” at the defence establishment’s guest house.

Defence lawyer Rhishikesh Ganu argued that the mobile handset seized from Kurulkar had been with the ATS “for a long time”. Ganu said Kurulkar was cooperating with the investigation and further extension in custody was not needed. But the court remanded Kurulkar to ATS custody for one more day.

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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, and Mission Shakti, which was an anti-satellite missile test.