Rajasthan Police on Tuesday said it had detained a manager of a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) guest house in Jaisalmer over suspicions of being a spy for Pakistan.
The accused, Mahendra Prasad, is a resident of Almora in Uttarakhand. He was posted as the manager of DRDO guest house in Chandan area of Jaisalmer.
“He was detained on Monday. A joint interrogation will be conducted today,” Jaisalmer Superintendent of Police Abhishek Shivhare said today.
“He is suspected to have provided sensitive information related to strategic operations and activities in the region,” the police have revealed.
What did Mahendra Prasad do?
Jaisalmer is a strategic location for the DRDO. The defence agency conducts tests and trials of missiles and weapons in Pokhran firing range in Jaisalmer, and experts and officials involved in the process stay in the guest house.
“He (Prasad) reportedly shared classified data, including military movements and defence trials, with the ISI across the border,” sources quoted by ANI said.
The area surrounding the guest house includes active military zones of both the Army and Air Force, where defence-related operations are carried out year-round.
Intelligence officials believe Singh had access to these activities and passed on details to Pakistan's intelligence operatives, according to ANI.
“Further interrogation is expected to uncover the extent of the information he may have leaked,” Shivhare said.
He added that Prasad would be brought for extensive questioning by all the security and intelligence agencies.
As per the ANI report, the accused allegedly used a mobile phone to transmit information across the border. This mobile phone is suspected to have been provided to him by ISI agents operating within India.
Indian authorities have arrested several individuals amid a crackdown on spies who have been allegedly leaking information to Pakistan. In May, authorities detained an engineer in Thane for allegedly passing sensitive information about warships and submarines with a Pakistani intelligence agent.
Another prominent arrest in such a case is that of Jyoti Malhotra, a travel influencer believed to be sharing sensitive information with Pakistan.
