According to http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/Aircraft/Spitfire.html#Mk Vc/Trop
All the Mk Vs used by the IAF were powered by the Merlin 66 and arrived Bombay from August 1943. Four served with No 4 Squadron while at least one served with No 1 SFTS (India) in 1946 with the code “88” painted on MA 368 (SOC – 25.4.46.). All IAF Vc were serialled MA—. MA 364 a Vc/Trop is known to have had an incident with then Flg Offr H Moolgavkar (later Air Chief Marshal and Chief of the Air staff). This aircraft taken on charge by the RAF on 25 July 1943, arrived Bombay on 27 September 1943 for 136 Squadron RAF. Its date of transfer to 4 Squadron IAF is not known. However, on 15 January 1945 at Murdania (a beach strip), while aborting take off after an engine failure at 30 ft, Moolgavkar landed wheels down and ran into shallow water and overturned. Moolgavkar was rescued just in time before drowning. The aircraft was SOC on the same date.
See also http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1940s/Spitfires.html
The first Supermarine Spitfire with the IAF was a lone Spitfire Mk Vc provided to No.4 Squadron on the eve of the Arakan Campaign. Operated by Indian veterans from the European front, the Spitfire was flown in a pathfinding as well as an interceptor role operating from Cox Bazar.
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