A serving Wing Commander of the Indian Air Force (IAF) allegedly compromised national security by passing highly classified military intelligence to a suspected Pakistani intelligence operative in exchange for explicit photographs of the woman.

The revelations emerge from a detailed chargesheet filed by the Counter Intelligence Agency of the Delhi Police Special Cell before the Patiala House Court in New Delhi.

According to investigators, the officer was entrusted with sensitive information pertaining to the IAF's overarching war plans, deployment strategies, and forward airbase readiness.

The accused officer, who headed a classified IAF unit, was arrested on May 30 following an internal security breach at his workplace.

The case came to light when security personnel stationed at his office on Race Course in New Delhi intercepted him carrying an iPhone, a device he was strictly unauthorised to possess given the high-security classification of his assignment.

Subsequent forensic examination of the confiscated mobile phone uncovered extensive digital communications between the Wing Commander and the foreign handler, revealing the systematic exchange of confidential defence data.

Investigators established that the officer remained in active contact with the woman between January 12 and April 1, 2026, communicating primarily via WhatsApp.

Despite operating out of Pakistan, the female operative disguised her location by using an Indian mobile SIM card that had been issued in Gujarat.

Further inquiry into the origins of the honeytrap revealed that the operative initially approached the officer through a late-night WhatsApp message under the guise of seeking a qualified therapist, claiming she had dialled a wrong number while dealing with depression following a marital separation.

Because the Wing Commander was going through a separation himself and living alone, the feigned vulnerability struck an immediate chord, allowing the handler to establish personal rapport before steering the exchanges toward explicit photographs and video calls.

Over the course of their communication, the pair reportedly exchanged more than 3,000 text messages and upwards of 60 images, gradually transitioning from personal conversations to the extraction of military secrets.

According to the chargesheet, the officer shared critical details regarding the Leh airbase in Ladakh, specifically outlining its flight-operational capabilities and strategic usage.

WhatsApp chat logs recovered by the Special Cell showed the officer informing the operative that the high-altitude Leh base was utilised occasionally rather than on a routine basis, while confirming that all categories of military aircraft were capable of taking off from the facility.

In addition to airbase intelligence, the Wing Commander allegedly disclosed sensitive data concerning India's drone warfare capabilities, including the organisational structure of a classified drone unit, trial outcomes, endurance metrics, and the identities of personnel attached to those operations.

Investigators also noted that the officer shared photographs of his workplace surroundings and sensitive installations, further exposing operational layouts.

The Pakistani handler sought to expand her espionage network beyond the Wing Commander by sending him malicious software designed to harvest data remotely.

The officer was allegedly instructed to install this malware onto the mobile phones and laptops of his subordinates—targeting the devices of fellow personnel under his command—in order to surreptitiously extract additional classified files.

While the Delhi Police Special Cell has formally submitted the chargesheet before the Patiala House Court, the matter is currently awaiting formal cognisance by the judicial magistrate.

Furthermore, prosecuting authorities are still awaiting the requisite statutory sanction from the competent defence authority to formally proceed with the trial against the serving officer.

Delhi Police have accused the Wing Commander of gravely endangering the sovereignty and security of the nation by disclosing restricted defence information to a hostile foreign intelligence agency.

He has been booked under stringent provisions of the Official Secrets Act alongside other relevant sections of criminal law, as counter-intelligence agencies continue to evaluate the full extent of the security compromise.

ANI