Reports of Pakistan’s ISI ‘honey trapping’ Lt Colonel pure speculation: Army official

A day after reports of an Army officer being detained in Jabalpur over alleged honey trap by Pakistan’s spy agency ISI, a senior official of the Indian Army has said that the Lieutenant Colonel would continue to perform his routine duties in unit as he was only questioned as part of an ongoing enquiry.

The senior official said that “reports of detention of officer, honey trapping and money exchange at this stage are pure speculation and neither accurate nor substantiated”. He added, “Details on the outcome of the enquiry will be intimated in due course as per progress.”

According to him, a preliminary enquiry was ordered on February 12 by the Indian Army to ascertain facts on suspected leakage of classified information from IT devices of the Lieutenant 
Colonel in Jabalpur. “It is yet to be established whether it has happened inadvertently or deliberately as reported,” said the senior Army official.

He added that digital evidence related to the case has been seized and sent for further forensic analysis.

On Wednesday, Defence PRO, Allahabad, Wing Commander Arvind Sinha had said that the officer was being questioned "after he was picked up from Jabalpur by the Army HQ team last (Tuesday) night".

The officer, however, refused to disclose details. "We are not in a position to clarify the exact reason behind this episode at present," Wing Commander Sinha said when asked whether it was a case of ‘honey trap’.

"The officer is being questioned and is under grilling at present," the PRO had said. The officer also refused to share whether the Lt. Colonel was taken to Lucknow for further questioning or is in Jabalpur.

The Lt Colonel has reportedly been accused of transferring crucial and confidential information of the Indian army to Pakistan's ISI. According to reports, the detained armyman allegedly got into a honey trap by Pakistan’s spy agency ISI and shared information that were confidential.