A senior IAF officer has been arrested on charges of espionage by Delhi Police. He is accused of being honey trapped by an ISI agent who coaxed him to share sensitive information pertaining Indian Air Force. 

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Group Captain Arun Marwaha aged 51 years old was arrested on Thursday by Delhi Police Special Cell. FIR has been filed according to relevant sections of Official Secrets Act, reports ANI. 

Deputy Commissioner of Police (special cell) Pramod Khushwah confirmed the arrest of the 51-year-old Group Captain. An FIR was filed under sections 3 and 5 of the Officials Secrets Act on the complaint by a senior IAF official.

Marwah has been sent to five days' police custody and is being interrogated by the authorities. Marwaha's phone has been confiscated and sent for forensic examination. Reports stated that he has admitted to having had access to many secret documents and plans due to his posting at the air headquarter

According to media reports, the officer was befriended by ISI agent on Facebook in mid-December and later they chatted on WhatsApp. The officer after establishing intimate relationship, gave away sensitive documents to the ISI agent, according to reports. They were reportedly about cyber warfare and other aspects. The officer if found guilty can be jailed for upto 7 years. 

IAF had identified the officer a while back, as reports emerged of an IAF officer being under scanner. He was detained by IAF on January 31 and investigation was on. He was arrested formally on Thursday. At that time, it was said  the officer was indulging in certain "unwanted activities" through unauthorised electronic devices which is against existing orders, the sources said. It was discovered during routine counter intelligence surveillance, the sources said, adding he attempted to posses sensitive documents.

Earlier when Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was asked about the incident, she said there are enough reasons to detain him, and action isn't being taken in haste. Probe is also being done to check whether Marwaha is part of a larger ISI espionage ring or is just an one-off case.