In a serious case of espionage, an army official from the EME unit of Secunderabad was arrested on Wednesday for sharing sensitive information on strategic locations of the Indian Army's bases and units with a woman who is suspected to be a Pakistani national.
The Hyderabad Police Task Force arrested Naik Subedar Patan Kumar Poddar in coordination with Army authorities, after receiving a tip-off that he was sharing information with the woman on the Internet, according to The Press Trust of India.
In what is suspected to be a honey trap, the woman befriended the army official on social media and shared her nude pictures with him, according to the investigation officer, who said the authorities "will check his email and his social media accounts to verify this".
She allegedly elicited information from Poddar on locations of artillery regiments, commands, corps and division headquarters, which he gathered from other Army personnel.
A case has been registered against Poddar under the Official Secrets Act (for espionage). He has also been charged under Prize Chits Money Circulation Banning Act, 1977 (for getting involved in the network marketing business) as police said that he was involved as a marketing agent in a network marketing business with a company called 'Secured Life'. Despite being a government servant, he was actively involved in a money circulation business and had even attempted to get his colleagues in the Army to join the network.
He is in a 14-day judicial custody, after he was produced before a magistrate by the Central Crime Station officers of the Hyderabad police.
Poddar reportedly worked as a clerk in the railway reservatioon special counter for the military in Secunderabad, which the police claim gave him enough opportunities to target defence personnel, who would contact him for railway reservations.
