ISLAMABAD – A break-in attempt has been made by a group of individuals at aRafale fighter jet facility in Paris, where the Indian Air Force (IAF) teamhas been looking after the development of India-specific warplanes, anIndian news agency reported on Wednesday.

The break-in attempt was made on Sunday night, four months ahead of thefirst Rafale fighter delivery to the Indian Air Force (IAF), in September2019.

“Break-in attempt was conducted by a group of unidentified individualsat the Project Management Team of Rafale in Paris. The Defence Ministry hasbeen briefed about the incident by the IAF”, the Indian news agency ANIreported, citing sources as saying.

Side-stepping the criticism made by opposition parties, the Indiangovernment has attributed 13 India Specific Enhancement (ISE) capabilitiesas being behind the higher price, in comparison to a scrapped procurementprocess, in which India had planned to purchase 126 Rafale fighter jets.