A contractual manager working at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Guest House near the Chandan Field Firing Range in Jaisalmer has been arrested on charges of espionage. Rajasthan CID (Security) Intelligence confirmed the arrest of Mahendra Prasad, 32, on Tuesday, accusing him of leaking sensitive defence information to Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
According to Inspector General of Police (CID Security), Dr Vishnukant, the arrest was made during an intensified surveillance operation ahead of the state-level Independence Day celebrations.
Mahendra Prasad, a native of Palyun village in Almora district, Uttarakhand, was employed as the manager at the DRDO Guest House, which services personnel involved in strategic defence testing. Investigators allege that he was in regular contact with a Pakistani intelligence handler via social media platforms.
It is believed that he was passing on confidential information, particularly regarding the movement of DRDO scientists and Indian Army officers visiting the Chandan Field Firing Range for missile and weapons trials, a critical site for India’s strategic defence testing.
Following preliminary intelligence, Prasad was detained and subjected to a joint interrogation by multiple security agencies at the Central Interrogation Centre in Jaipur. His mobile phone underwent thorough technical analysis.
Based on concrete evidence, a formal case was registered against Prasad under the Official Secrets Act, 1923, on 12 August. He was subsequently arrested and is scheduled to be produced in court on Wednesday. Authorities are expected to seek his remand for further investigation.
Security agencies are now probing whether Prasad acted alone or as part of a broader espionage network. They are also investigating the extent of the security breach and any possible compromise of defence protocols.
