BrahMos Aerospace engineer arrested for leaking information to Pakistan

A suspected ISI agent, identified as Nishant Agrawal, was arrested on Monday from BrahMos missile unit in Maharashtra's Nagpur for allegedly leaking technical secrets to Pakistan.

Nishant Agrawal was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror squad on charges of spying. He has been reportedly working at the Brahmos Aerospace unit for the last four years. 

Agrawal was living in a rented accommodation on Wardha Road since the last year, his landlord Manohar Kale said. The police team arrived at the building at 5.30 am and was there till 5 pm, he said.

Agrawal hails from Roorkee and got married two months ago, he said. "He was staying with his wife here and had given his Aadhar card copy and a certificate from his employer to me while moving in," he said.

BrahMos Aerospace is a joint venture between India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the 'Military Industrial Consortium' (NPO Mashinostroyenia) of Russia.

The company was set up through an inter-governmental agreement signed on February 12, 1998, between India and Russia. The name BrahMos represents the fury of Brahmaputra and the grace of Moskva rivers. 

The Defence Research and Development Organisation facility from where he was arrested makes propellents, or fuel, for the BrahMos missile. The BrahMos is a medium-range supersonic missile that can be fired from submarines, ships, aircraft or land. The fact that it is the fastest cruise missile in the world makes the arrest even more critical. 

Last month, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) arrested a BSF jawan from Noida on the charge of sharing vital information with Pakistan ISI agents.