IAF officer arrested for leaking sensitive intel to ISI spy

The Delhi Police arrested Group Captain Arun Marwaha on Thursday on charges of passing on details of secret IAF documents to Pakistani spy agency ISI.

DCP (special cell) Pramod Khushwah has confirmed the arrest. Marwaha, 51, was allegedly using his smartphone to click pictures of classified documents pertaining to combat exercises at the IAF headquarters and then sending them across via WhatsApp. The Group Captain had been detained by the Indian Air Force for investigation on January 31 after his activities were found suspicious.

He has been charged under the Official Secrets Act and faces up to 14 years in jail. He was due to retire next year.

Sources say after the officer befriended the ISI agents on Facebook – they had fake profiles as women – a few months ago and they started chatting regularly on WhatsApp. They allegedly even exchanged intimate messages. After gaining his trust, the agents asked the officer for classified documents. The officer shared them regularly on WhatsApp in return for obscene photos, according to sources. The information that he shared was reportedly on new agencies in the field of cyber warfare, space and special operations.

A senior Air Force officer discovered the massive breach a few weeks ago and set up an internal investigation. When Group Captain Marwaha’s role was revealed, IAF informed the Delhi Police. After questioning him for 10 days, the counter-intelligence wing of the Air Force turned the case over to the police.