DRDO scientist fell for her despite taking anti-honey trap class

Disgraced scientist Pradeep Kurulkar who allegedly volunteered vital security information to an enemy agent masquerading as ldquoa beautiful patriotic Indianrdquo in exchange for nudes had attended a programme on honey traps and how to avoid them organised on the Pune campus of the Defence Research and Development Organisation DRDO last year sources told middayIndian intelligence agencies including the Maharashtra ATS have been perturbed by the disturbing trend of honeytrap operators allegedly funded by Pakistanrsquos ISI using social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook to steal classified information from key security personnel in India Indian security agencies have been organising awareness campaigns to educate security forces and important figures from vital establishments on the importance of safeguarding classified documentsAccording to sources in the Maharashtra ATS Pakistanrsquos intelligence operatives backed by the ISI have created hundreds of fake social media accounts using the names of Indian women such as Neha Rajput Neha Gupta Pooja Zara Das Gupta to lure and trap top intelligence officers scientists and diplomats into revealing crucial and confidential pieces of information In Kurulkarrsquos case a woman going by Zara Das Gupta on social media approached him and kept sending him patriotic messages and nudes to gain the elderly scientistrsquos trustAlso Read Maharashtra How ISI milked secrets from smitten scientistAn old ISI tacticldquoThe honey trap has long been a tactic of the ISI and we always keep a close watch on their activitiesrdquo explained an ATS officer speaking on the condition of anonymity ldquoRecently wersquove noticed a new trend where they approach Indian intelligence officials scientists and diplomats under the guise of beautiful patriotic women Wersquove been conducting awareness campaigns to protect them from falling prey to these honey trap tactics used by the ISIrdquoThe officer went on to explain that a similar awareness programme was organised last year between July and August on the DRDOrsquos Pune campus which was being headed by Kurulkar ldquoWe believe that while the lecture was being delivered on how Pakistan and other intelligence agencies use social media handles to honey trap and spy on India Kurulkar was also present In fact at the same time he was reportedly chatting with a Pakistani woman and was so deeply in her love that he failed to realise he was being honeytrappedrdquo the officer addedldquoIf he had been more aware of the situation he could have avoided falling into the honey trap especially since it was still in its early stages and he hadnrsquot shared any sensitive information yetrdquo the officer added ldquoThe woman started sharing explicit photos with him but didnt immediately make any demands regarding information on the crucial projects he was handling at the DRDOrdquoSources have revealed that in addition to Kurulkar who was arrested on May 3 two more officials from the DRDO were contacted by different social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook The officials engaged in conversation with the individuals but became suspicious and blocked the accounts when they realised they may be dealing with a honey trapldquoWe keep a close watch on these types of accounts and when we noticed that two DRDO officials were engaging with these accounts they were called in for questioningrdquo explained an ATS officer ldquoHowever nothing incriminating was found against them as they had already blocked the accounts They were released with a warning and received awareness counsellingrdquo he addedSources within the Maharashtra ATS have said that many instances of honey trapping have been occurring following the Pakistani ISIrsquos collection of information on the profiles of top intelligence agents diplomats and scientists from their respective websites ldquoIn the case of Kurulkar his entire profile was available on the DRDO website detailing the critical projects he was working on which led to the honey trap being set and his subsequent fallrdquo said an officerIn response to this incident the ATS is now planning to provide recommendations on what information should be shared on the websites of top officials and what should be kept private They will also suggest that individuals in important positions should refrain from using social media accounts and if they must use them they should be kept hidden and their true identity concealedExpert speakBalakrishna Kamath a retired IB officer and author of The Velvet Gloves and The Ace of Shadows has shared his expertise on how to prevent honey traps and how the ISI selects its targets He said that nowadays ISI spies do not directly contact their target on social media Instead they first explore the targets profile connect with their common friends and then approach the target through the common friend As a result the target may be approached by someone who is a mutual friend of one of their own friendsNotorious caseldquoIt is not just Indian security forces that are vulnerable to honey traps however In recent years there have been several highprofile cases of western officials falling victim to honey traps set by foreign intelligence agencies In one particularly notorious case CIA operative Aldrich Ames was caught spying for the Soviet Union after falling for a honey trap set by a Russian agentrdquo Kamath saidHe added that to avoid falling victim to honey traps officials are typically advised to be cautious when interacting with strangers on social media platforms particularly those who appear too good to be true They are also warned not to share any sensitive information with anyone who they have not met in person and who they cannot verify as being who they claim to be Also officials are typically advised to maintain a strict separation between their personal and professional lives particularly when it comes to social media They are warned against posting sensitive information on social media platforms as this information can be used by honeytrap operators to gain their trust and access to more sensitive information He said ldquoOverall honey traps remain a potent and effective tool for intelligence agencies around the world While awareness campaigns can help officials recognise and avoid these tactics there is no foolproof way to prevent them entirely As such officials must remain vigilant and cautious when interacting with strangers on social media platformsrdquoAsked why some get honeytrapped despite being fully aware of the consequences he said ldquoBasically there are three vulnerabilities that the enemy try to exploit to get close to their targetsmdashmoney ideology and sex Of these the potential of sex is high because to some it is an insatiable trait that ultimately overpowers them There is also a belief that while money and ideological orientation can easily leave a trail sex remains as an entirely personal activity where chances for exposure are limited And then the urge for intimacy and sex prompts people to take a chance lsquojust this timersquo It is an entirely psychological phenomenon Unlike in the olden days social media make it easy to choose targets and approach themrdquo2No of other DRDO officials contacted by social media accounts