In a significant development, a Nagpur court on Monday sentenced former Brahmos Aerospace engineer Nishant Agarwal to life imprisonment for espionage on behalf of Pakistan's ISI. Agarwal, apprehended in 2018, was accused of divulging classified information about the Brahmos missile to Pakistan's intelligence agency. He held a senior position as a system engineer at Brahmos Aerospace, a collaborative effort between DRDO and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyenia, focused on India’s supersonic cruise missile technology, deployable via land, air, sea, and underwater platforms.
The 2018 case marked a watershed moment as the first espionage scandal to affect Brahmos Aerospace. Agarwal had reportedly communicated with suspected Pakistani intelligence operatives through two Facebook profiles—Neha Sharma and Pooja Ranjan—believed to be operated from Islamabad by Pakistan's intelligence agents. Nishant Agarwal, a recipient of the Young Scientists Award by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, shocked his colleagues with his involvement in such activities. Known as a bright engineer, he had studied at the National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra. Investigating officers noted that Nishant's casual approach on the internet made him an easy target, despite his engagement in highly sensitive work.