The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad today arrested an employee of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for allegedly supplying secret information of fighter aircraft to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.
“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 Vinay Rathod said.
Information related to the HAL aircraft manufacturing unit at Ozar near Nashik, the airbase and prohibited areas inside the manufacturing unit were also shared by him, the official said.
An offence under the Official Secrets Act has been registered against the 41-year-old man who was working as assistant supervisor.
Three mobile handsets along with five SIM cards and two memory cards have been seized from him, he said.
HAL’s Aircraft Division Nashik is located at Ojhar, 24 km from Nashik and around 200 km from Mumbai.
Established in 1964 for licence manufacture of MiG-21FL aircraft and K-13 missiles, the division has also manufactured other MiG variants like MiG-21M, MiG-21 BIS, MiG-27 M and the state-of-the-art Su-30 MKI fighter jet.
The division also carries out overhaul of the MiG series aircraft and Repair and Overhaul (ROH) of Su-30 MKI aircraft.
Nithin Rosh