In a separate incident, Arunachal Pradesh Police arrested five residents of Kashmir on Thursday on suspicion of spying

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Police in Karnataka have arrested three men from Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh on suspicion of passing sensitive information related to the Indian Navy to contacts in Pakistan, The Indian Express reported on Sunday.

One of the accused, 34-year-old Hirendra Kumar from Gujarat, was arrested on Saturday, according to The Indian Express. The other two men, Rohit, 29, and Santri, 37, both residents of Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur district, were taken into custody in November.

The three have been charged under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita dealing with threats to India’s sovereignty and integrity, along with Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, which relate to espionage and the unauthorised sharing of official information, the newspaper reported.

Rohit and Santri were employed as insulators with Shushma Marine Private Limited, a subcontractor engaged at the Udupi Cochin Shipyard.

Investigators allege that Rohit gathered classified information on Indian naval vessels, including identification numbers, repair timelines and details of sensitive infrastructure, and transmitted it to handlers based in Pakistan, NDTV reported.

Police said Rohit continued to pass on information with Santri’s help even after he was transferred away from the site, The Indian Express reported.

Kumar is accused of supplying Rohit with a SIM card registered in his own name in return for money, police said.

“The Gujarat-based accused was supplying SIM cards and OTPs that were used to activate WhatsApp accounts for communication with Pakistani handlers,” NDTV quoted Assistant Superintendent of Police of Karkala sub-division Harsha Priyamvada as saying.

The investigation began in November after the chief executive officer of Cochin Shipyard lodged a complaint with the Malpe police, citing a security breach.

In a separate incident, Arunachal Pradesh Police arrested five residents of Kashmir on Thursday on suspicion of spying, Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Chukhu Apa told Scroll.

The five have been booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and are accused of collecting “sensitive information from different parts of Arunachal Pradesh and sharing it with their Pakistani handlers”.