An Indian Air Force Wing Commander, who was posted along the western front, has been arrested on the charges of sharing sensitive  military Defence information with a Pakistani woman. 

The IAF official and the woman had allegedly been in touch on social media.

An IAF spokesperson in New Delhi said: “The officer was under active surveillance and was handed over to the suitable law enforcement agencies.” 

Sources said the officer was not posted in the national capital but was posted in the field air base of the Western Air Command that is headquartered in New Delhi. The western command has a vast area of responsibility, including air bases in Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Western    Uttar Pradesh and north-western parts of Rajasthan.

The sources said the IAF Intelligence unit had noticed unusual activity and had proactively placed the Wing Commander under surveillance.

Due to these proactive measures, he was caught, official sources told the Tribune.

The IAF had handed the officer to the Special Cell of the Delhi Police more than two months ago on May 31 and was booked under the Official Secrets Act. After the arrest, he was first questioned in police custody, and later was sent to judicial custody. The Wing Commander is currently lodged in Tihar Jail and it is suspected to be a case of ‘honey trapping’.

It was being ascertained if the Pakistani woman, who ‘honey- trapped’ the Wing Commander, was in touch with anyone else from the IAF.

The Wing Commander reportedly had begun chatting with a woman on social media while going through a “tough phase” in his personal life. The conversations had gradually turned into regular video calls, and that was when the IAF unit picked up the trail.

The woman first gained his trust and then began asking for information related to military activities. The officer is alleged to have shared details about the movement and deployment of military units with the woman. 

Sources explained that in military espionage, even ‘bits’ of information are like a ‘gold mine’. Even an innocuous thing like addition of a fuel bouser, or a visit by an operational commander, or even a power failure can be collated to understand the changes, if any. These small things don’t show-up on enemy surveillance satellites hence ground-based information is collected.

The woman reportedly asked the officer to share photos, videos and other details related to the movement and deployment of military units. It is also alleged that the officer sent some important documents and data to the woman through digital medium. 

The scope of the leak was being studied and what could be its intended use is being analysed by the IAF.

Another aspect being probed is that the Wing Commander had allegedly asked a colleague to install a specific ‘communication app’ on his mobile phone.

That app was also part of the probe, if it had a spyware or remote-access malware. This software can be used to steal mobile data, track locations or gain access to conversations. As matter of precaution, mobile phones are not permitted inside any IAF operational area, or the commands headquarters, or the IAF headquarters. However, officers and airmen are allowed to use mobile phones in their homes with very strict policy on social media usage.