July 8th 2023.
Dr. Pradeep Kurulkar, the former Director of Research and Development at the DRDA, is currently facing serious scrutiny for an alleged security breach. It is claimed that he shared classified information related to a DRDO project with a Pakistani spy, Zara Dasgupta, through his mobile phone. The information included details about the BrahMos Missile, Agni-6 Missile, Akash Missile, Astra Missile, Drain Project, Rustam Project, Qaptor, Indian Nikunj, Parashar, UCAV, DARDA duty chart, Missile Launcher, Meteor Missile, MBDA, and Rafale jets.
In response, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has filed a charge sheet against Dr. Kurulkar, accusing him of violating Section 3 of the Government Secrets Act, 1923. Investigation officer Sujata Tanwade lodged a complaint against Kurulkar in the court of Special Judge V.R. Kachre. As a result, Kurulkar's judicial custody has been extended until July 21. The court has also requested Kurulkar to submit a written statement for a polygraph test, as requested by the police.
The ATS has gathered strong evidence to support the complaint against Dr. Kurulkar. This includes statements from 203 witnesses, including staff members and officers from DRDA R&DE in Pune and Delhi, original panchnamas, correspondence with the Judicial Scientific Laboratory and R&DE, reports from the investigating officer, station diary entries, electronic gazette analysis reports from DARDA, ARP Kurulkar's technical analysis report, and mobile and social media reports.
The case against Kurulkar is further strengthened by details uncovered during the investigation. It was discovered that Kurulkar shared confidential information with foreign professionals, misused his position, and engaged in conversations with Zara Dasgupta. The latter is believed to be a Pakistani spy, and was allegedly the one to persuade Kurulkar to download apps like cloud chat and Bingchat, as well as a link containing an app with her email ID and password. Furthermore, it was found that Kurulkar had blocked Zara's phone on February 23, 2023. However, the foreign individual in question continued using the mobile number until May 9, 2023.
The gravity of the situation has become apparent, as the Congress Party has staged a protest in Pune demanding that Dr. Kurulkar be slapped with sedition charges. The implications of his actions are severe, and could compromise India's security, sovereignty, and integrity if the information were to fall into the hands of an enemy nation. The fate of the former DRDO director now lies in the hands of the court.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
