Wing Commander held for espionage; installed suspicious software in colleague's device 

A wing commander of Indian Air Force was arrested for alleged espionage-related activities and installing a suspicious software on his colleague’s mobile, police sources said. 

The alleged accused was arrested by the Air Intelligence (AI) unit of the IAF and was subsequently handed over to Delhi Police on May 31.

The police suspect it be a large espionage network orchestrated at the behest of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Investigators believe the officer was contacted by a woman through social media who later honey-trapped him.

The officer interacted with her through social media. She later connected with him through video calls, persuaded him to share sensitive information related to military deployments, movements, photographs, videos and classified documents through digital channels.

Sources further claim that the officer also facilitated the installation of a suspicious application on a colleague’s mobile phone. Investigators suspect the app functioned as spyware or remote-access malware capable of stealing data, tracking locations, and intercepting communications. 

The woman is believed to have been acting at the behest of handlers based in Pakistan.

The authorities are now examining the extent of information allegedly compromised and analysing the digital trail of communications between the accused officer and the woman.

The probe began after Air Force Intelligence reportedly detected suspicious activity and placed the officer under surveillance.