Exclusive: Pakistan's ISI using 'models', sex video calls to honey-trap young Indian scientists

The sensational arrest of the BrahMos scientist for allegedly leaking sensitive missile information to Pakistan has yet again highlighted ISI’s ‘honeytrap’ strategy prevalent in India.

A latest intelligence report says that the ISI is targeting young Indian scientists. The spy agency’s strategy includes profiling the scientists, engaging them online using fake profile of women.  

ISI’s honey-trap plan also includes vulgar chats. To make sure the victims believe in the fake profiles, at times dummy models are used for erotic sex video calls. 

Sources also said that to hide their locations, ISI agents also reroute their IP addresses, which is technically known as IP masking. 

The report comes at a time when the Indian intelligence officials arrested Nishant Aggarwal of BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited. Aggarwal was arrested after a joint operation by the anti-terrorism squads (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra at his rented residence and office in Nagpur on Monday.

The police said they have recovered some data from his system which shows his communication with Pakistan-based addresses.
According to the UP police, they have found "sensitive" information in Aggarwal's personal laptop something that not have been on his personal device. They called this a serious violation of the Official Secrets Act.

"The teams have also found his communication with two social media accounts claimed to be of women from Pakistan. It could be a case of honeytrap," said an officers from UP police.

Aggrawal originally belongs to Roorkee in Uttarakhand and is an alumnus of IIT Roorkee. He has been in Nagpur for the past four years and had got married in March. His social media account carries a photo that purportedly shows him receiving the 'Young Scientist of the Year award for 2017-18.

Investigating agencies said Aggarwal surfaced on their radar during a probe into a case registered with the UP police under the Official Secrets Act. The UP cops had carried searches in Kanpur and Agra and seized two laptops, which led them to Aggarwal.

"Following some inputs, our officers approached their Maharashtra counterparts. Joint searches were conducted at Aggarwal's residence and his office which yielded more information," said an officer from the UP ATS.
Sources said searches are being carried out at Aggarwal's home in Roorkee, his native place. He is likely to be produced in a court in UP on Tuesday. "We will require his custody to investigate his communication with the Pakistani social media accounts," said the UP police officer.