BEL Senior Engineer Arrested In Karnataka For Leaking National Security Information To Pakistan
The accused, Deep Raj Chandra from Uttar Pradesh, was under the radar of Military Intelligence after suspicious financial transactions in his bank accounts linked to a suspected Pakistani Intelligence Operative (PIO) surfaced.
In a major intelligence operation, a 36-year-old senior engineer at Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has been arrested for allegedly leaking classified national security information to Pakistan’s ISI in exchange for cryptocurrency. The senior engineer in the R&D division of BEL, India’s premier defence establishment, has been suspended. The accused, Deep Raj Chandra from Uttar Pradesh, was under the radar of Military Intelligence after suspicious financial transactions in his bank accounts linked to a suspected Pakistani Intelligence Operative (PIO) surfaced, top sources confirmed to News18.
“In Bharat Electronics Limited, a person named Deepraj Chandra, 36 years of age, was a senior engineer. Our intelligence officials and also the military intelligence officials secured him for being in touch with Pakistan intelligence officials…he shared the most classified information," Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said on Thursday.
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A top intelligence source said that the most common way to come in contact with handlers is to ‘honey trap’ such individuals. Chandra allegedly received payments in Bitcoin through multiple bank accounts, leading investigators to uncover a larger espionage network. Karnataka State Intelligence unit tracked down Chandra.
Sources said Chandra adopted sophisticated espionage tactics, uploading sensitive data into email draft folders and providing access to his handlers, who would then retrieve it. Further investigations revealed that he had stolen data from multiple BEL departments, including highly sensitive details about communication and radar systems, security measures, and even information about senior defence officials.
BEL, a critical public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Defence, plays a pivotal role in developing India’s defence electronics, including manufacturing electronic voting machines (EVMs) and advanced military systems. The breach is being treated as a grave national security threat.
During questioning by the intelligence agencies, it was revealed that he had been using encrypted platforms and email to leak classified information about India’s radar systems, electronic warfare technologies, and defence production systems.
The seized laptop and mobile phone of the accused will be sent to the Ministry of Defence’s Cloud Investigation and Response Automation (CIRA) laboratory for forensic analysis.
This arrest is the latest in a series of espionage cases targeting India’s defence sector. On March 14, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested a junior works manager from the Kanpur Ordnance Factory for allegedly sharing classified details with a Pakistani intelligence operative.
Last month, the NIA apprehended two individuals in Karnataka’s Karwar for leaking sensitive information about the Karwar Naval Base, home to aircraft carriers INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant.
With Pakistan-backed espionage networks increasingly targeting key defence installations, Indian intelligence agencies have intensified their crackdown on infiltrators. Security forces are on high alert as the scale of these operations continues to expand, explained intelligence sources.
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