Coomar Narain

Coomar Narain (1925–2000) was an Indian businessman who became the central figure in the Coomar Narain espionage case, an espionage scandal that emerged in India in January 1985. He was accused of obtaining and passing classified Indian government information to foreign representatives through a network of government officials and intermediaries. The case involved officials associated with the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Defence and other government departments.

Early life and career Coomar Narain was born in 1925 in Vadakkencherry, in present-day Palakkad district, Kerala. According to a police chargesheet cited by The Indian Express, he joined the Indian Army's Postal Service in 1943 and was discharged in 1949. He subsequently joined the Government of India as a stenographer.

After leaving government service, Narain worked for the Bombay-based S. L. M. Maneklal Industries, where he became a regional manager. He later established an office in New Delhi, at 16 Hailey Road.

An FIR was registered under the Official Secrets Act, 1923, naming Narain and several government officials. According to later accounts, the case involved officials in the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Finance and other government establishments.

The investigation also alleged that members of the network had contacts with officials of foreign embassies. Contemporary and later reports identified alleged links with the French, Polish and German embassies.

Coomar Narain, regarded as the principal accused in the case, died in March 2000 before the conclusion of the trial and was therefore not sentenced.

Narain's wife, Geeta Narain, continued to live at the farmhouse. In 2002, she was allegedly strangled inside the property by an unidentified person. Her death later became connected to a Delhi Police investigation into the ownership and inheritance of the farmhouse.

Legacy The Coomar Narain case was one of the major espionage scandals to emerge in India during the 1980s. The investigation and subsequent trial involved the alleged transfer of classified government information and the involvement of officials working in sensitive government offices, including the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Defence.