Abhinandan Varthaman (IAF)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Abhinandan Varthaman

• Abhinandan Varthaman was born to Simhakutty Varthaman, a retired Air Marshal of the Indian Air Force, and Shobha, a doctor.

• He came into the eyes of media on 27 February 2019 when he was captured in Pakistan after his fighter plane was crashed in the territory of Pakistan.

• Following his capture, Pakistan Army released a video of Abhinandan in which he was blindfolded and was being interrogated by the Pakistani Army. In the video, Abhinandan was seen saying,
  

  My name is Wing Commander Abhinandan. My service number is 27981. I’m a flying pilot. My religion is Hindu.”

• In another video that went viral on social media, Abhinandan was seen getting beaten up by Pakistani civilians.

• In another video that was released by Pakistan Army, Abhinandan was seen praising the Pakistan Army for the hospitality provided by them.

• Abhinandan Varthaman’s father, Simhakutty Varthaman, is a retired Air Marshal of the Indian Air Force who also served as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Cheif in the Eastern Air Command. His service number is 13606.

• Simhakutty Varthaman has also assisted Mani Ratnam as his advisor in his 2017 film- Kaatru Veliyidai. The film’s story is based on an Indian Pilot who is kept as a prisoner of war at a jail in Rawalpindi, Pakistan; just like in the case of his son, Abhinandan.
  
• Abhinandan’s wife, Tanvi Marwaha, has also served the Indian Air Force as a Squadron leader. After 15 years of her service, Tanvi retired as a helicopter pilot. Her service number is 28800. Tanvi has also done the Armed Forces Executive Course from IIM Ahmedabad and is working as the DGM of Reliance Jio in Bengaluru.

  

• On 1 March 2019, Pakistan released Abhinandan in the evening, and he safely returned to India via Wagah Border following a statement by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan about his release on 28 February 2019.

• In November 2019, a war museum in Pakistan Air Force displayed Abhinandan’s mannequin.

  

• In June 2025, the Pakistan Army officer, Major Moiz Abbas Shah, who was involved in the capture of Abhinandan following his jet crash in Pakistan in 2019, was killed in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region in a gunfight with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists.