This is how ISI is laying honeytraps on social media to lure Indian defence personnel

Dismissed IAF official Ranjith at Special Cell of Delhi Police

Delhi: Pakistani's ISI has been providing training to women on how to make explicit calls and chats on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter in order to honeytrap unsuspecting Indian personnel. 

As per a Mail Today report, the plan to trap the men begins with friend requests.

After the request is accepted, chatting begins and then the personnel is forced to share sensitive information.

In cases where he officer is unwilling or unsure, money is used for entrapment.

The report quoted security agencies as saying that there was a dedicated team of ISI spies whose job was to track vulnerable officers on social media.

It further quoted a senior officer as saying that the moment an officer discloses his online identity, he/she comes on the radar of spies.

These spies then starts following him on the virtual world and keep a track of their interest and hobbies.

The above information is used to strike a conversation and become friendly.

The officer revealed that spies have created many fake profile and identity on social media. 

To counter the problem, defence forces supposedly have a guideline in place.

The guidelines urges all its officials to be alert and not reveal their service identity while online or on any social networking sites.

Moreover, the security agencies are also keeping an eye on close to 2,000 retired and serving officers, as per the report.

Recently, Ranjith KK, who was a leading aircraft man with the Indian Air Force posted at Bhatinda, was deceived by a cyber entity by the name Damini McNaught, who pretended to be the executive of a UK-based media firm.

The entity claimed that she required Air Force-related information for an article in their news magazine from Ranjith in exchange for pecuniary benefits, as per an official. 

The dismissed Air Force official allegedly shared secret information with intelligence operatives suspected to be backed by Pakistan's ISI after being "honeytrapped".

It was in September when Ranjith came in touch with the woman on Facebook while he was admitted to a military hospital for treatment.

"As per the investigation, the lady first made contact with him on Facebook and he reciprocated since he was in hospital and had a lot of free time," the sources said, as per PTI. 

Ranjith was later arrested after a combined operation by Delhi Police's Crime Branch, Military Intelligence and Air Force Liaisoning Unit (LU).

Ranjith allegedly shared Air Force-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.

Ranjith had also received a few Voice Over Internet Protocol-based calls on his mobile number during which a female with British accent introduced herself as Damini McNaught and even interviewed him once.

She later assigned him the task of getting more information, Kumar said.

Ranjith allegedly shared secret information also through e-mails and internet-based text messaging services.

(With Agency inputs)