Defence PSU employee arrested for spying for Pakistan

• Maharashtra Police's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested an employee of HAL for allegedly spying for ISI

• The HAL employee was giving supplying secret information related to Indian fighter jets to Pakistan trough WhatsApp and Social Media

New Delhi/ Nashik: An employee of the defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has been arrested by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on charges of spying for Pakistan's spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The employee was working as an assistant supervisor with HAL's Nashik aircraft division based out of Ojhar which is 24 km from Nashik. He has been arrested by the Nashik unit of the Maharashtra ATS. Three mobile handsets along with five SIM cards and two memory cards have been seized from him.

"The Nashik unit of the state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) received reliable intelligence about the man, who was in constant touch with ISI. The man, identified as Deepak Shirsath, was supplying confidential information about Indian fighter aircraft and their manufacturing unit to the Pakistani spy agency through WhatsApp and social media," DCP-ATS Vinay Rathod said.

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The arrested HAL employee, during interrogation, has revealed that he was in constant touch with the ISI and was supplying classified information to its agents. The police said that the information related to that particular HAL aircraft manufacturing unit, the airbase and prohibited areas inside the manufacturing unit has also been shared by him with the ISI. HAL's Aircraft Division Nashik was established in 1964. It manufactures MiG-21M, MiG-21 BIS, MiG-27 M, the powerful Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighter jets and K-13 missiles.

The Nashik division of HAL also carries out the overhaul of the MiG series aircraft and Repair and Overhaul (ROH) of Su-30 MKI aircraft.

The ATS has registered an offence under Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923. The items recovered from him have been sent for forensic examination to a laboratory. The accused was produced before a court on Friday and was sent to 10 days' police custody.

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