Ex-Air Force Officer Arrested In Assam On Charges Of Spying For Pakistan

Assam Police arrested a retired Indian Air Force (IAF) officer on charges of alleged links with a Pakistani espionage network on Friday night.

The accused has been identified as Kulendra Sarma, a resident of the Patia locality in Tezpur. He was taken into custody following sustained surveillance and preliminary investigation by the police.

Police sources said they were keeping a close eye on the arrested person, who was allegedly in touch with and supplying sensitive information to individuals linked to a Pakistani spying agency. From his mobile phone and laptop, suspicious materials were recovered, though some data is suspected to have been deleted. Haricharan Bhumij, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Sonitpur, Assam, said though the suspicion regarding Sarma's Pakistan links is strong, it cannot be confirmed till the probe is completed.

Before his retirement, Sarma was posted as a Junior Warrant Officer at the Air Force Station in Tezpur, where key air assets, including a Sukhoi 30 squadron, are in place. He had retired in 2002. He then worked at the Tezpur University briefly.

Police sources said a case has been registered against Sarma under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). 

He will be produced before the court on Saturday.