DRDO scientist charged with leaking secrets to Pak agent, using intimate terms

In a recent development, the Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) has filed a chargesheet against Pradeep Kurulkar, a Pune-based scientist working for the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Kurulkar stands accused of sharing sensitive details about India's missile, drone, and robotics programs with a female Pakistani intelligence operative. The chargesheet, submitted to a special court on June 30, contains "explosive" chats that shed light on the extent of the information exchanged between Kurulkar and the alleged Pakistani agent. According to the chargesheet, Kurulkar, who held the position of director of research and development at DRDO, allegedly shared classified data with the Pakistani operative in an attempt to establish an intimate relationship.

The ATS investigation revealed that the operative created multiple fake accounts using different names, such as Zara Dasgupta and Juhi Arora, to communicate with Kurulkar. The chargesheet also disclosed that the operative used two different phone numbers with a +44 London code to engage with the scientist. The chats between Kurulkar and the alleged Zara Dasgupta revealed discussions about various defense systems, including the Meteor missile, Brahmos missiles, Rafael, Akash and Astra missile systems, and the Agni-6 missile launcher.

Kurulkar also shared details about ongoing projects such as the Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle, the Bharat Quadcopter, and Rustom, a medium altitude long-endurance unmanned combat air vehicle developed by DRDO. Surprisingly, the chats showed that Kurulkar and the Pakistani operative referred to each other as "Babe" before delving into discussions on these serious defense matters. One conversation in the chats revolved around the success of the Agni-6 launcher test. Kurulkar reportedly responded by claiming, "The launcher is my design, babe... It was a great success." The chargesheet contains these chats, which date back to September 2022 and February 2023. DRDO's suspicions about Kurulkar's activities were reported to the Maharashtra ATS in March, leading to his subsequent arrest on May 3.

The chats included in the chargesheet illustrate the persistent nature of Kurulkar's engagement with the Pakistani operative. At one point, the operative inquired about any new developments regarding the Agni-6 missile system, to which Kurulkar allegedly responded, "Will do it, have some patience." The operative shared three email IDs with Kurulkar: [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected]. To gain his trust, she shared the passwords for these email accounts and convinced him to download two mobile apps, which he complied with.

Concerns about potential malware led DRDO experts to conduct a forensic analysis of Kurulkar's mobile phone, where they discovered its presence. This finding was promptly reported to the ATS. Over time, the level of familiarity between Kurulkar and the Pakistani operative grew to the point where he shared personal details of his everyday life. The chargesheet revealed an instance where Kurulkar informed the operative about a leopard that had strayed into the DRDO complex in August of the previous year. Additionally, he shared the name and other details of the CEO of a private vendor involved in manufacturing robotic equipment for the Indian Army.

The investigation also unveiled the communication methods employed by the Pakistani operative. The mobile number linked to the operative's provided email was traced back to Nayatel, an Islamabad-based telecommunications company in Pakistan. Furthermore, the IP address associated with the email was determined to belong to Pakistan Telecommunication Limited. Pradeep Kurulkar is currently detained in Pune's Yerwada jail following his arrest on May 3. The ATS investigation has examined 203 witnesses thus far.