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Kulendra Sharma, a retired Indian Air Force junior warrant officer, was arrested in Tezpur, Assam on allegations of sharing defence-related documents with Pakistani operatives.

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Police in Assam have arrested a retired Indian Air Force officer on suspicion of links with Pakistani intelligence operatives and of sharing defence-related documents, police said on Saturday.

Kulendra Sharma was arrested in Tezpur town, the Indian Express reported. Sharma retired from the Indian Air Force in 2002 with the rank of junior warrant officer and later worked as a technical assistant in the electronics and communication engineering department at Tezpur University, before leaving the post three years ago.

Sonitpur district Superintendent of Police Barun Purkayastha told The Hindu that Sharma had been under surveillance for around two weeks following intelligence inputs indicating he was in contact with Pakistani operatives.

Police have charged Sharma under provisions related to acts endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India, waging war against the government, criminal conspiracy and causing the disappearance of evidence, officials said.

Sonitpur Additional Superintendent of Police Haricharan Bhumij told the Indian Express that preliminary investigations suggested Sharma had shared certain defence-related documents with unidentified individuals.

A laptop and a mobile phone seized from Sharma have been sent for forensic examination, police said.

“We suspect that highly confidential information may have been shared,” Bhumij was quoted as saying by the Indian Express, adding that investigators were trying to determine the recipients of the information and verify the authenticity of the documents.

Police are also probing whether Sharma had any local associates, officials said.