Two arrested; 13 Navy personnel among 18 under scanner for alleged leaks to Pakistan intelligence operatives

The Counter Intelligence Cell (CIC) of the Andhra Pradesh Intelligence Department has uncovered an espionage module in which 18 people including 13 Navy personnel are suspected of passing sensitive information to Pakistani intelligence operatives. Two of them have been arrested.

The suspects were allegedly sharing information related to defence establishments and strategic locations at the Visakhapatnam Naval Base and other parts of the country with Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs), the intelligence officials said in a release on Tuesday (October 6, 2026).

Acting on a tip-off, the Counter Intelligence police in Vijayawada registered a case under Section 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Sections 17 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, Section 3 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923 and other provisions of the BNS.

Operation Firewall

Under ‘Operation Firewall-2026’, 12 CIC teams were deployed to Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Chhattisgarh.

The teams worked with Naval officers, Anti-Terrorist Squads and the local police to search the premises of the 18 suspects, examine their complicity and seize their electronic equipment.

Two arrested

Annam Sai Vara Prasad, a civilian contract driver engaged for naval officers, was arrested in Visakhapatnam for allegedly sharing classified information on naval establishments with a Pakistan-based intelligence operative and receiving money. He was produced in court and sent to the Visakhapatnam jail in judicial remand till October 14.

The second accused, Pradeep Mukherjee, a Navy employee at the Visakhapatnam Naval Base, was arrested in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. He allegedly shared an OTP for the activation of a WhatsApp account by a PIO and passed sensitive information on defence establishments. He was produced in court in Vijayawada and sent to the Vijayawada jail in judicial custody till October 14.

Mr. Mukherjee, 31, joined the Navy in 2014 and was posted with the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam. The CIC had placed him under surveillance after detecting suspicious digital activity and arrested him on October 3 while he was on a training programme in Coimbatore. He had allegedly been in touch with a Pakistani operative, a woman, whom he met on social media a few months ago.

The Counter Intelligence officials are trying to find out how long the accused had been sharing confidential information with the Pakistan-based operatives, what data and photographs were sent, how much money was received and whether others were involved. A detailed investigation is on into the espionage module, the officials said.