Honey-trapped DRDO scientist with ISI contacts: Who is Pradeep Kurulkar?
Maharashtra ATS Kalachowki, Mumbai has registered a case against Pradeep Kurulkar under the Official Secrets Act 1923 and other relevant sections.
PremiumPradeep Kurulkar, a DRDO scientist from Pune was arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) over accusations of espionage.
According to the ATS press release, scientist Pradeep Kurulkar (60), director of the DRDO (Engineers)was arrested due to a possible honeytrap case.
As per a report by DNA, the Pune police reported that Pradeep Kurulkar was found to have communicated with operatives of Pakistan's Intelligence Agency (PIO) through WhatsApp messages and voice and video calls while performing his official duties.
"Despite holding a responsible position, the DRDO official has misused his post thereby compromising sensitive government secrets, which could pose a threat to India`s security if it falls into the hands of the enemy nation," read an official statement.
Maharashtra ATS Kalachowki, Mumbai has registered a case against Pradeep Kurulkar under the Official Secrets Act 1923 and other relevant sections.
The DRDO had filed a complaint that led to the probe, according to the ATS. Kurulkar was taken into custody on Wednesday and presented before a court the following day, which remanded him to ATS custody.
The suspect seemed to have been attracted by images of women on social media platforms and subsequently established contact with Pakistani intelligence agents in the past year, reported DNA citing sources.
Who is Pradeep Kurulkar?
Pradeep Kurulkar has been appointed as the Director at the Systems Engineering Laboratory of the Research & Development Establishment (Engineers) [R&DE(E)], which is a part of the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
Pradeep Kurulkar, born in 1963, started his career with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at CVRDE, Avadi in 1988, after completing his Bachelor of Engineering (BE) in Electrical Engineering from COEP Pune in 1985 with first-class honours.
He later pursued advanced coursework in Power Electronics with a focus on Drives and Applications from IIT Kanpur. Kurulkar specializes in designing and developing missile launchers, military engineering equipment, advanced robotics, and mobile unmanned systems for military use.
Kurulkar played a vital role in developing and designing several military engineering equipment and systems as a lead designer and team leader. These include hyperbaric chambers, high-pressure pneumatic systems, mobile power supplies, and missile launchers for various programs such as AD, MRSAM, Nirbhay subsonic cruise missile system, Prahar, QRSAM, and XRSAM.
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