BrahMos scientist accused of spying taken to Lucknow

BrahMos Aerospace engineer Nishant Agrawal, arrested on the charges of espionage, was taken to Lucknow by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh police Wednesday, an official said here.

A court in Nagpur had given the ATS his three-day transit remand Tuesday.

Agrawal was being flown to Lucknow and the UP ATS will produce him before a special court there, a police official said here. The ATS will seek his custody from that court for the purpose of interrogation, he said.

Agrawal was arrested Monday in a joint operation by the ATS units of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra police at BrahMos' Wardha Road facility near here for allegedly leaking "technical information" to Pakistan.

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 UP ATS told the court Tuesday that Agrawal was in contact with two Facebook accounts, operated under the names 'Neha Sharma' and 'Pooja Ranjan', by suspected Pakistani intelligence operatives.

He has been booked under the Official Secrets Act.

(With inputs from agencies.)