A senior officer of the Indian Air Force was taken into custody on Wednesday for being allegedly involved in espionage and attempting to access sensitive documents, PTI reported, quoting unidentified officials. The officer is reportedly being held for questioning.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said the government had enough reason to take action against the officer. “The step was not taken in a hurry,” she said, ANI reported.

Group Captain-rank officer Arun Marwaha, who was based out of the Air Force Headquarters in Delhi, had possibly routed classified information through Facebook and WhatsApp, NDTV reported. During the routine counter-intelligence surveillance that was conducted, it was discovered that the officer was indulging in “certain unwanted activities through unauthorised electronic devices”, The Times of India quoted an official as saying.

Investigators believe the officer was in touch with a woman through social media, whose identity has not been yet established. The officer’s identity has been concealed due to the ongoing investigation.

According to the strict guidelines in the armed fores, soldiers are restricted from sharing their identity rank, posting professional details on social media. They are also not allowed to post photographs showing them in uniform, NDTV reported.