Court extends police custody of DRDO scientist till May 16 in espionage case; Call from same number to Air Force Officer

Air Force officer Nikhil Shende was questioned by the inquiry committee after he received a call from the same Pakistani IP address from where Kurulkar had received a call earlier.

Pune: A special court in Pune on Monday extended the police custody of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) director and scientist Dr Pradeep Kurulkar till May 16. Kurulkar was arrested on charges of providing confidential information to a Pakistani spy agent.

Notably, in a similar case, Air Force officer Nikhil Shende from Bengaluru has also received a call from the same Pakistani IP address from where Kurulkar had received a call earlier. The inquiry committee of the Air Force is probing into the matter and Shende has been questioned in this regard.

Meanwhile, seeking an extension of Kurulkar's custody, the prosecution said that his mobile phone needs to be analysed. "Police had to access the mobile phone of the accused with his help as they could not do so on their own," the prosecution told the judge. The defence counsel argued that no new information has been found though the mobile phone that was seized earlier.

Also, the prosecution informed the court that they had seized a phone on which the PIO (Person of Indian Origin) agent had messaged the accused using an Indian number. Kurulkar had allegedly travelled to five to six countries on a diplomatic passport and the prosecution sought information about the persons whom he met during those trips.

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had arrested Kurulkar on May 3 under the Official Secrets Act. The scientist was allegedly in touch with an agent of a Pakistani spy through WhatsApp and video calls, an ATS official said last week.