The Silicon Review ^Asia

Nishant Agarwal, a senior systems engineer working for BrahMos Aerospace has been arrested by the authorities for allegedly passing classified information to Pakistani agents. Barely in his mid-20s, Nishant won the government’s Young Scientist Award for 2017-2018 and was leading a 40 member team of technicians, supervisors and systems engineers. He was involved in projects in Nagpur, where he was apprehended in a joint operation conducted by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) branches of the states of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.

The authorities arrived at Agarwal’s home in the early hours of the morning and entered his house and interrogated him for half the day. The laptop seized from his residence contained vital information pertaining to designs of the missile, which is a violation of the Official Secrets Act. The investigation is still underway as officials need to determine the extent of damage, if any, caused by Nishant’s activities.    

BrahMos Aerospace Limited is a joint venture between India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and NPO Mashinostroyenia of Russia. This firm developed the highly capable BrahMos cruise missile, which is the fastest of its kind in the world, with a top speed of about Mach 3.0 and a maximum range of about 450 km. For those who are unaware, Mach 3.0 indicates that the missile can travel three times faster than the speed of sound. The missile can be fired from any of the three platforms – land, air, and sea. Furthermore, the BrahMos cruise missile is also capable of delivering a nuclear warhead.