Air Force Man Allegedly Honey-Trapped Into Spying For ISI

[Windjammer]

ISI used Facebook to honeytrap IAF airman into spilling secrets - Times of India


NEW DELHI: Ranjith KK, an Indian Air Force employee, got a Facebook friend request from a pretty woman based in the United Kingdom three years ago. He thought himself the luckiest of young men when the friendship took a spicy turn that included dirty talk late into the night. Already addicted to social media, the 30-something man began to remain online almost through the day for the woman, McNaught Damini, to come online and fulfil his fantasies.

McNaught's profile on Facebook showed her to be a resident of Beeston, Leeds, an executive for an investigative magazine there. Ranjith, whose job as a lead aircraft man (LAC) was to help the technical crew look after the aircraft, was titillated by the intimate chatter made all the more naughty by the woman's strong British accent. They soon moved from text chats to audio and photo exchanges on Whatsapp.

During one such tete-a-tete, McNaught seductively asked the Kerala man for some information on the IAF, ostensibly for the news magazine she worked for. She had earlier even interviewed him for the magazine, so an enamoured Ranjith thought nothing of divulging the info. In fact, he thought it a bonus when she said she would pay him for any material he passed to her.

One day, the woman asked him if he could give her some details about TAC-DE (Tactical and Combat Deployment Establishment) in Gwalior. He refused, knowing how strategically important this unit is to the IAF. He could as well have been hit by a missile, for the woman suddenly turned from coy to vicious, confronting him with recordings of the chats and documentation of the information he had shared earlier.


Too late, Ranjith realised he had become the latest victim of an ISI honeytrap. Threatened with exposure, he had no option but to pass on crucial IAF-related dope to an ISI handler he was introduced to. Every time he moved stations for training - Belgaum to Chennai, and lately to Delhi -- the ISI dogged him, sometimes over Facebook and Whatsapp, but also via Skype.

Thrice in Belgaum, six times in Chennai and also in Delhi, Ranjith leaked sensitive data on air force exercises, movement of aircraft and deployment of various flying units, his major lapse being supplying the position and other details of Mirage and fighter jets at TAC-DE.

Military Intelligence (MI) and Delhi Police caught up with him, and Ranjith was arrested on Monday, hours after the IAF dismissed him from service. Ravindra Yadav, joint commissioner of police, Crime Branch, revealed that the man had been under electronic surveillance for some months after MI sleuths had tracked communications between him and his handler. A few days ago, a police team led by ACP KPS Malhotra interrogated him at length in Bathinda. They brought him to Delhi, where he was formally arrested, completely wrecking Ranjith's planned tryst on New Year's Eve with his lady love at a luxury hotel in New Delhi.

 

[v9s]

During one such tete-a-tete, McNaught seductively asked the Kerala man for some information on the IAF, ostensibly for the news magazine she worked for. She had earlier even interviewed him for the magazine, so an enamoured Ranjith thought nothing of divulging the info. In fact, he thought it a bonus when she said she would pay him for any material he passed to her.

Hahahahahahhaha!!! This is priceless

 

[rockstar08]

A Mallu

and i thought you are also a Mallu ?

 

[Abingdonboy]

Military Intelligence (MI) and Delhi Police caught up with him, and Ranjith was arrested on Monday, hours after the IAF dismissed him from service. Ravindra Yadav, joint commissioner of police, Crime Branch, revealed that the man had been under electronic surveillance for some months after MI sleuths had tracked communications between him and his handler. A few days ago, a police team led by ACP KPS Malhotra interrogated him at length in Bathinda. They brought him to Delhi, where he was formally arrested, completely wrecking Ranjith's planned tryst on New Year's Eve with his lady love at a luxury hotel in New Delhi.

Counter intelligence did its job, the marked absence of any such reports coming out from Pakistan either means that India's intel community is incredibly effective or Pakistan's is incredibly incompetent.

 

[Khafee]

Counter intelligence did its job, the marked absence of any such reports coming out from Pakistan either means that India's intel community is incredibly effective or Pakistan's is incredibly incompetent.

Incredibly naive comment, Heads I win, tails you loose.

Supposedly it was the ISI. There is still no evidence of which foreign agency it really was. Nonetheless, who ever it was they succeeded in their objective, their 3rd tier asset got burned. No big deal.

 

[Abingdonboy]

Supposedly it was the ISI. There is still no evidence of which foreign agency it really was. Nonetheless, who ever it was they succeeded in their objective, their 3rd tier asset got burned. No big deal.

Well the counter-intelligence folk have an oppurtunity to understand the methods of the enemy and so can devise new policies for the future. There is no such thing as a wasted lesson.

 

[SQ8]

There is a weakness in India and that is being exploited to the hilt. A weakness that needs a massive effort not just by counter intelligence, but by counter society improvement. All of this is connected, the honey traps, the social issues and so forth.

Just as religious extremism plagues Pakistan.. Lust plagues India.

 

[nair]

and i thought you are also a Mallu ?

Yeah very much... So?

 

[thinkingcap81]

There is a weakness in India and that is being exploited to the hilt. A weakness that needs a massive effort not just by counter intelligence, but by counter society improvement. All of this is connected, the honey traps, the social issues and so forth.

Just as religious extremism plagues Pakistan.. Lust plagues India.

@Oscar

I think that your accusation is not well justified. Lust is quite entrenched and exercised in western countries. Yet it does not lead to many such unpatriotic acts in, say, the US or UK. The problem maybe different.

There could be higher social pressure to not reveal such dalliances which in turn causes such a compromise.

Both Pak and India are fantastic consumers of pornographic content.

 

[EnggineerShahjehan]

Very interesting. Arrested, Interrogated, court martial, jailed and all in such short time. Wao man. they left every one behind. Reminds of Pigeon Block-1 Story.

U nailed it brother Pigeon Block-1

 

[The Eagle]

Well the lesson currently learned by India wouldn't be the last subject for the one who done it. Even if is it learning of method then there are always tricks, the big ones indeed. So the guy fall for money and lust. Win win situation to the A party whoever used him, in shape of no asset lost and got what they need and India lost a man.

Pakistan Zindabad

@EnggineerShahjehan there are more to come..

 

[The Headache]

RAW does the same to visiting Pakistanis, especially the ones who have relatives on both sides of the border. Honey traps them, blackmails them and uses them for spying in Pakistan.

Any recent source as a proof ?

 

[Signalian]

Any recent source as a proof ?

There is a book called RAW, published from army central press. I forgot the name of author. I read it in 1998/9.

EDITED:The name of author is Tariq Ismail Sagar

It had pictures of indian agents, double agents of pakistan and India. It also had information of eatables and mixtures of food used by indian agents during spying ops.

There was documented evidence of how espionage was conducted in Karachi and how honey traps were set both in India and pakistan.

I vaguely remember that it mentioned that when a pakistani got an Indian visa to visit relatives in India, he would come under the watchful eye of RAW. His visa would contain certain conditions to stay within a specified city or area. He would meet some "friendly" indians during flight or during his stay in India who would invite him to their house out of love to an area outside his visa permission. First he would say no if he knows the visa conditions but later on agree. If he doesn't know visa conditions then all is ok and he would easily go with them.

Outside his permitted area, a random check will occur and he would be caught and blackmailed and forced to spy.

Honey trap through female indians would happen in nights in hotel where suddenly authorities will conduct a raid and catch him red handed. Embarassed from family in India and as well as back home pakistan, the youth will give in and spy for India on going back to pak.

Third way is through cash money. Either paid to relatives in India or sent over to pak.

The most vulnerable are the soldiers (Rangers and BSF) tasked on borders. After a certain tenure of duty, they can be easy victims. Those who become spies for enemy then usually become double agents.

The book also showed pictures of terrorist training camps in India as well as their exact addresses.

 

[rockstar08]

Yeah very much... So?

just confirming
i met many mallu in UAE , they work with my brother

 

[atomix]

My guess is this guy was on the lower side of the hierarchy (non-commissioned), more than a security risk he must have been a nuisance. If he was really passing some serious stuff or was handled by some big daddy on the other side they would have monitored him for some more time to bust the network or asked him too feed false info to his handlers.

Arresting him and making it public means not much serious damage has taken place.