Sacked IAF officer sent to 14-day judicial custody

NEW DELHI: A sacked IAF official, arrested for allegedly sharing secret information with Pakistan's ISI, was today sent to 14-day judicial custody by a Delhi court after police said it does not require him for custodial interrogation.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjay Khanagwal allowed the Delhi Police Crime Branch's application for judicial custody of Ranjith KK, who was produced in court from police custody.

Investigating Officer S S Sandhu submitted that the accused has been on police remand for six consecutive days since his arrest on December 28 and as of now, he was not required for custodial interrogation.

On January 2, while seeking two-day police remand of Ranjith, a Leading Aircraftman with Indian Air Force posted at Bhatinda, police had informed the court that he will also be interrogated in connection with Pathankot terror attack.

The accused, who was dismissed recently from IAF, was arrested after a combined operation by Delhi Police's Crime Branch, Military Intelligence and Air Force Liaisoning Unit.

The sacked officer was booked under the stringent Official Secrets Act for allegedly sharing secret information with intelligence operatives suspected to be backed by Pakistan's ISI after being "honeytrapped" into an espionage racket.

Police had earlier said that he was deceived by a cyber entity by the name Damini McNaught, who pretended to be an executive of a UK-based media firm and claimed that she required Air Force-related information for an article in their news magazine from Ranjith in exchange for pecuniary benefits.

The accused had allegedly shared IAF-related information, mostly pertaining to a recent exercise, movements of aircraft and deployment of various units, in exchange for money transferred to his bank account, police had said.