In a major security breach in Rajasthan, Mahendra Prasad, the manager of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) guest house at the Pokhran Field Firing Range in Jaisalmer, has been detained on suspicion of espionage. A resident of Almora in Uttarakhand, Prasad was apprehended by security agencies late on Monday, following weeks of surveillance prompted by intelligence that he may have shared sensitive information with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
The guest house Prasad managed is located in an area of immense strategic importance, serving as temporary accommodation for top DRDO scientists and senior military officials participating in weapons testing and war exercises at the Pokhran range. Since his posting in 2018, Prasad came in regular contact with high-ranking personnel and became privy to sensitive details about their stay, defence operations, and military exercises taking place at the facility and its vicinity.
During his initial interrogation, Prasad reportedly admitted that in 2020, he received a suspicious phone call, after which he was asked to send a slip containing the dates when guests would be staying at the facility. He maintained that this was an isolated event and denied passing further information to Pakistan. Despite his claim, intelligence agencies had been monitoring his activity after detecting suspicious calls to and from Pakistan on his mobile phone. Authorities have since seized his device and are conducting forensic analysis to extract chats and digital evidence; early investigations have already uncovered messages and communications substantiating the espionage charges.
Jaisalmer Superintendent of Police, Abhishek Shivhare, confirmed the detention and announced that Prasad would be handed over to a Joint Interrogation Committee for further questioning. Investigators are especially interested in determining how long classified information may have been leaking and the extent of the breach. Sources indicate that Prasad may have used a phone number acquired from ISI agents within India to facilitate his communication with Pakistani contacts.
This incident has once again drawn attention to the vulnerabilities of Rajasthan’s expansive 1,070km border with Pakistan, which is lined with several critical military installations and airbases. Following Prasad’s arrest, security and intelligence agencies have intensified their monitoring of border activities, reviewing procedures to prevent similar breaches. This case also marks the latest in a string of espionage-related arrests in Rajasthan since March 2025, adding to concerns about the region’s security. In the preceding months, authorities have detained five others on similar charges, including individuals like Pathan Khan and Mohammad Qasim, both implicated in leaking sensitive information to Pakistani handlers.
Overall, Prasad’s detention underscores the constant threat posed by espionage activities to India’s defence sector, especially in strategically crucial border regions. The investigation is ongoing as authorities work to gauge the full impact of the alleged information leak and to strengthen protective measures at key defence establishments