After arrest of official, DRDO directs scientists to ensure cyber discipline

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has asked the country’s military scientists and other officials to ensure strict cyber discipline, steer clear of avoidable interactions on social media and not entertain calls from unknown numbers, including those from outside the country, to safeguard critical information related to India’s security in a new advisory, government officials aware of the matter said on Sunday.

- Rahul Singh

This follows the arrest of a senior DRDO official in Pune in early May on the charges of allegedly supplying confidential information to a female Pakistani agent in a suspected honey trap case. The advisory aims to prevent such incidents, the officials said, asking not to be named. “Such advisories are issued from time to time to sensitise people from falling into traps. The latest one was prompted by the Pune case,” said one of the officials cited above.

A special court in Pune on May 16 remanded DRDO scientist Pradeep Kurulkar in judicial custody till May 29. Kurulkar, a director at one of the DRDO labs in Pune, was arrested by the Maharashtra police’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on May 3. DRDO has already sacked the 59-year-old scientist who was to retire in six months.

The DRDO is working on a raft of important projects related to air, land and naval systems.