NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force (IAF) had its own intelligence apparatus watching a serving Wing Commander for months before he was arrested for allegedly passing sensitive defence information to a Pakistani intelligence operative, the force said on Saturday, revealing that the officer was detected internally before the case was handed over to the Delhi Police.
The disclosure came as the Delhi Police confirmed that it had filed a chargesheet against the officer on July 30, exactly two months after his arrest on May 30.
“He was under active surveillance and was handed over to the suitable law enforcement agencies,” the IAF spokesperson based in the national capital said.
The Delhi Police said the officer was arrested following a complaint from the Air Force over allegations that he had been honey-trapped by a Pakistani intelligence operative.
“Post investigation, a charge sheet has been submitted before the competent court on 30/07/2026 and the matter is sub-judice,” it said in a statement.
It is learnt that the accused officer was posted at a field air base under the IAF’s Western Air Command and not the national capital. The command, headquartered in New Delhi, oversees air operations along the western front and covers bases in Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, western Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Sources in the know told TNIE that IAF’s air intelligence apparatus first developed suspicions about the officer several months before his arrest and subsequently placed him under surveillance.
“He was internally detained and his electronic devices examined as part of the Air Force’s inquiry. His communications with the alleged operative were also scrutinised before the case was transferred to the Delhi Police Special Cell,” a source said.
The officer was later booked under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) and is lodged in Tihar Jail.
Sources said that the officer was approached on social media by a woman who allegedly developed contact with him at a time when he was going through personal difficulties. The interaction progressed to video calls before she allegedly began seeking information on military deployments and movements.
Photographs, videos and documents were allegedly shared through digital channels, investigators said. The investigation has also opened a second line of inquiry involving another IAF officer.
The accused Wing Commander allegedly persuaded a colleague to install a particular application on his mobile phone. Investigators are now learnt to be examining whether the application had spyware or remote-access capabilities that could have allowed data extraction, location tracking or interception of communications.
The probe is examining whether the alleged attempt was intended to use one compromised officer as a route into another service member’s device and potentially widen the intelligence collection effort.
Mobile phones are prohibited in IAF operational areas as well as at Air Headquarters and command headquarters. Personnel can use them outside restricted areas, subject to service rules governing digital communications and social media.
Investigators suspect the woman who allegedly honey-trapped the officer was linked to a wider Pakistani intelligence network. They are working to identify the handlers behind the operation and establish whether other defence personnel were targeted.
The investigation is also examining the nature and extent of the information allegedly obtained from the officer and whether any additional sensitive material was transmitted.
With the chargesheet now before the competent court, the allegations against the officer remain subject to judicial scrutiny.