After one of its senior scientists, Pradeep Kurulkar, is arrested for leaking sensitive information to enemy spies, Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has issued an advisory to its personnel. Asking them not to take calls from unknown numbers and avoid social media platforms. Senior DRDO officials told ANI, “We have been issuing advisories and conducting lectures by experts to maintain cyber discipline, but this incident has happened.”
Tips for maintaining cyber discipline
“Following the arrest of senior scientist Pradeep Kurulkar, we have issued a strong advisory to all our personnel to maintain cyber discipline, such as not receiving calls from unknown numbers or foreign numbers,” he added. Officials said the personnel have also been asked to avoid presence on social media as it may lead to association with strangers and one may fall prey to such enemy intelligence operatives. DRDO chief Dr Sameer V Kamat has taken a strong stand on the incident and expressed sympathy that everyone in the Defense Research Agency should behave responsibly while using the internet.
DRDO’s top scientist Pradeep Kurulkar was a victim of honey trap
The officials said that all personnel should be adequately responsible on social media and other apps as many such operatives are trying to target officials outside the country personally using WhatsApp numbers. DRDO works on strategic projects which are classified in nature most of the time. On 3 May, the Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad arrested Pradeep Kurulkar, a top DRDO scientist, for leaking sensitive information to a virtual honey trapper, who was suspected to be a Pakistani intelligence operative.
His activities were probed by DRDO and prima facie found to be information leaker
He was reportedly honeytrapped by a woman whom he had befriended on social media last year. His activities were probed by the DRDO and he was prima facie found to have leaked the information after which he was sacked as director of the laboratory he was heading in Pune. He was the head of the Research and Development Establishment (engineers) in Pune.
Honeytrap: DRDO scientist arrested for passing classified information to Pakistan
