An Indian Air Force officer, who was taken into custody by the counter intelligence wing of the force for alleged involvement in espionage and leaking classified documents, has been arrested by the policeunder the Official Secrets Act (OSA).
Group Captain Arun Marwaha was caught revealing information and documents to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agents who chatted with him on social media masquerading as women.
The ISI agents had made fake profiles as women on Facebook and befriended the officer there. According to a report by the NDTV, they subsequently started an affair with the officer and exchanged intimate messages with him to gain his trust. The officer then began to regularly share classified information with them on Whatsapp.
He was detained by the IAF for investigation on January 31 after his activities were found suspicious.
The officer was indulging in certain "unwanted activities" through unauthorised electronic devices which is against existing orders, sources said. The investigators from IAF's counter intelligence wing are also probing whether he was part of a larger espionage ring being run from Pakistan, PTI reported.
The Group Captain was handed over to Delhi Police on Thursday after nearly 10 days of questioning by the counter- intelligence wing of the force. He now faces a jail term of up to seven years.
The IAF officially did not comment on the matter.
