Bait, Byte

ISI ups its espionage game by seducing Indian defence personnel and diplomats online

- Namrata Biji Ahuja

CHANAKYA’S ARTHASHASTRA TALKS about vishkanyas (poison maidens) who seduce men into revealing secrets and, if need be, kill them with a poisonous kiss. This honeytrap trick in espionage was used effectively by seductive Russian spies, commonly known as swallows, during the Cold War era. Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has now refined it into a no-cost, no-hazard tactic, without even employing seductresses—all thanks to virtual ‘sexpionage’.On October 8, a senior systems engineer at BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited in Nagpur was arrested for allegedly leaking sensitive data to the ISI. Nishant Agarwal, in his late 20s, was lured by the ISI through two fake Facebook accounts. ‘Neha Sharma’ and ‘Pooja Ranjan’ had sent him friend requests in 2016. Swayed by their pictures and sweet talk, Nishant allegedly leaked classified “technical’’ information to them. He was arrested in a joint operation by the anti-terror squads of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.

When the Maharashtra ATS searched his office and residence, it found sensitive and secret data on his personal laptop, which is a violation of the Official Secrets Act. Before joining BrahMos in Nagpur, Nishant had worked at its Hyderabad unit. A forensic analysis of the data extracted from the computers in both units could indicate the extent of leaks. This is the first spy scandal that has rocked BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation and Russia’s Military Industrial Consortium that makes critical components of the BrahMos missile.