New Delhi: An Indian Air Force (IAF) officer, who has been accused of spying, allegedly shared details of a secret drone unit, fighter aircraft deployment positions in Leh and classified war-plan documents, with a suspected Pakistani Intelligence Operative (PIO).
This has been mentioned in a chargesheet against the Wing Commander. The document was filed in a Delhi Court.
The officer, who was posted in a sensitive unit on the Western Front, was arrested around five months ago under the Official Secrets Act, as reported by The Indian Express.
The chargesheet reportedly details the nature of classified information he allegedly passed on, as well as the extent of his communication with the suspected PIO.
The officer allegedly shared information about the strength, structure, trials, endurance and targeting capabilities of a secret drone unit, the chargesheet says.
He also reportedly disclosed deployment locations of frontline combat aircraft in Leh, details of military exercises at the Mahajan Field Firing Range in Suratgarh, Rajasthan, and coordinates of sensitive military installations.
The officer uploaded a page of a classified war-plan document after receiving an explicit photograph from the suspected operative, the police alleged. He reportedly indicated that he could share additional pages in exchange for more photographs.
The alleged espionage operation began around January 2026, when the officer came into contact with an individual posing as a woman on social media.
Their communication continued until April 1, 2026, through WhatsApp and other encrypted platforms, the chargesheet alleged. Their interactions reportedly involved text messages, voice calls and video calls.
The officer was honey-trapped and manipulated into sharing sensitive defence-related information with the suspected PIO, investigators suspect.
It has also been claimed that the accused was instructed by the Pakistani operative to install malware or spyware on the devices of five of his subordinates.
Extensive communication records were reportedly recovered by the investigators during forensic analysis. These included thousands of messages, photographs and call records, despite attempts to delete the exchanges.
The alleged instructions to compromise the devices of other personnel have raised further concerns about the possibility of sensitive military information being accessed through the officer’s position within the IAF unit.
The matter first came to light after the IAF’s intelligence wing detected suspicious communications involving the officer through surveillance. A complaint was lodged following this, leading to an investigation by the Delhi Police Special Cell.
The officer, aged around 44, was arrested on May 30-31, 2026, and subsequently remanded to judicial custody and lodged in Tihar Jail.
The police filed a chargesheet in the case around July 30, with further details emerging from the court proceedings.
The case has added to broader concerns over suspected attempts to target Indian defence personnel through social media platforms and honey-trapping operations. The IAF has maintained a zero-tolerance approach towards breaches involving classified military information.
The allegations against the officer are yet to be established in court though.
