Who is Pradeep Kurulkar, honey trapped DRDO scientist arrested for having contacts with ISI?

Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientist from Pune on charges of espionage.

According to an ATS press release, scientist Pradeep Kurulkar (60), director of the DRDO (Engineers) in Pune, was detained in connection with a possible honeytrap case.

According to police, the DRDO scientist Pradeep Kurulkar in Pune, while carrying out his official duties, was found to have had contact with the operatives of Pakistan`s Intelligence Agency (PIO) through WhatsApp messages and voice and video calls. 

"Despite holding a responsible position, the DRDO official has misused his post thereby compromising sensitive government secrets, which could pose a threat to India`s security if it falls into the hands of the enemy nation," read an official statement. 

Maharashtra ATS Kalachowki, Mumbai filed a case under the Official Secrets Act 1923 and other relevant sections. The probe was started as a result of a complaint the DRDO made, claims ATS. Kurulkar was arrested on Wednesday and was produced in the court a day after. The court remanded him to ATS custody.

According to sources, the accused appeared to have been lured by female photographs on social media sites and afterwards made contact with Pakistani intelligence agents in the last year.

Who is Pradeep Kurulkar?
Scientist Pradeep Kurulkar has been appointed Director of the prestigious Systems Engineering Laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Research & Development Establishment (Engineers) [R&DE(E)].

Kurulkar, who was born in 1963, began working for the DRDO at CVRDE, Avadi, in 1988 after earning his Bachelor of Engineering (BE) in Electrical Engineering from COEP Pune in 1985 with distinction and first-class standing. He went on to complete his advanced Power Electronics coursework at IIT Kanpur with a focus on Drives and applications. Design and development of missile launchers, military engineering gear, cutting-edge robotics, and mobile unmanned systems for military applications are his areas of expertise.

As a Team Leader and Lead Designer, Kurulkar made significant contributions to the design, development, and delivery of a number of military engineering systems and equipment, such as the hyperbaric chamber, mobile power supply, and high-pressure pneumatic systems, as well as missile launchers for Programme AD, MRSAM, Nirbhay subsonic cruise missile system, Prahar, QRSAM, and XRSAM.