Gorakhpur, July 8

The UP Police have booked a former cook of the Indian Air Force officers’ mess under the Official Secrets Act for possessing confidential information, including take-off schedule of the IAF’s fighter planes.A native of Banka district in Bihar, Shashikant Jha was initially detained by the IAF and later handed over to the police on being found in possession of sensitive information about the IAF, said Inspector Pradeep Shukla of Shahpur police station on Sunday. “The Air Force officials had detained Jha on Saturday after finding on him information pertaining to take-off schedule of fighter planes inside the Air Force station campus,” he said.The police have booked him under the OSA and recovered documents, including a map of the IAF station in Gorakhpur, and other secret information, Shukla said. The police learnt that Jha worked at IAF officers’ mess till September 2017. He used to note down secret information while hearing officers’ conversation. — PTI