An Army officer working with the EME unit of Andhra Sub-Area was arrested on charges of passing on sensitive information to a woman suspected to be a Pakistani national, whom he befriended on Facebook, police said on Wednesday.
Sources said, Naik Subedar Patan Kumar Poddar of West Bengal got to know the woman who identified herself as Anushka Agarwal on Facebook a year ago.
He was remanded in judicial custody for 14 days after being produced before a magistrate by the Central Crime Station sleuths of Hyderabad police.
Honey trap
The police moved the court seeking his custody for further investigations into what appears to be a textbook case of a honey trap.
Sources said the central intelligence agencies kept him under surveillance after some of his actions aroused suspicions about his role in alleged spying.
Criminal case registered
On receiving specific information, CCS officials caught the Naik Subedar three days ago after registering a criminal case under Official Secrets Act.
He was working in the railway reservation special counter for the military located at Secunderabad as one of the four clerks.
He worked as marketing agent for a company called Secured Life and used to persuade his colleagues to join money circulation scheme.
Mr. Reddy said Patan Kumar misused his position and shared official secrets with outsiders and foreign nationals against the interests of national security.
