The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has been investigating the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) espionage case involving scientist Pradeep Kurulkar. According to the probe, Kurulkar had allegedly planned to share a highly classified report on the BrahMos missile project with a female Pakistani Intelligence Operative (PIO) named “Zara Dasgupta” during a personal meeting.
Kurulkar, the head of DRDO’s Research and Development Establishment (Engineers) laboratory, was arrested on charges of spying and wrongful communication with the female PIO in a suspected honey trap operation. The PIO had contacted Kurulkar on WhatsApp, posing as a software engineer based in the UK. She lured him with obscene messages, voice calls, and video calls, leading to multiple conversations between June 10, 2022, and February 24, 2023.
ATS alleges that Zara sought to extract confidential information about various DRDO and defence projects in India from Kurulkar. Despite being aware of the sensitive nature of the information, Kurulkar allegedly misused his position to share confidential data with her.
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ATS retrieved WhatsApp chats between Kurulkar and Zara, which revealed discussions about the BrahMos missile project and other projects, including Agni 6, Rustom, Surface to Air Missiles (SAM), Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAV), and Drone projects. The chargesheet filed before a special court in Pune includes these chats and accuses Kurulkar of intending to show the classified report on BrahMos to Zara during their meeting.
ATS also mentions that Kurulkar shared details of a few agreements between India and other countries and allegedly provided information about Air force system missiles installed across India’s borders.
The investigation revealed that Kurulkar added Zara to a WhatsApp broadcast group named “Happy Morning” and shared the names of two DRDO scientists with her. The two scientists’ statements were also recorded by ATS.
Kurulkar’s lawyer has filed an application seeking copies of “confidential” documents pertaining to the case, which ATS submitted to the court in a sealed envelope.
DRDO had discovered the illegal contact between Kurulkar and the Pakistani operative, leading to the seizure of electronic devices used by Kurulkar for forensic investigation. The probe by DRDO’s internal standing committee and a forensic report confirmed Kurulkar’s alleged contact with the female Pakistani operative and sharing of sensitive information with her.
The case continues to unfold as ATS gathers evidence against the accused and the wanted accused PIO, highlighting the importance of safeguarding sensitive information in defence establishments.
