The National Investigation Agency (NIA), with the assistance of local police, arrested three more accused on Tuesday in connection with the Visakhapatnam espionage case linked to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). With these arrests, the total number of individuals taken into custody in the case has now risen to eight.
The case involves the leakage of sensitive and confidential defense information related to the Indian Navy. The arrested individuals—Vethan Laxman Tandel and Akshay Ravi Naik—were apprehended from Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka, while Abhilash P.A. was arrested from Kochi, Kerala.
According to NIA’s investigation, the accused were in contact with Pakistani intelligence operatives (PIOs) through social media. They were found to be sharing sensitive information about Indian defense establishments, particularly related to the Karwar Naval Base and Kochi Naval Base, in exchange for money.
So far, the NIA has filed a charge sheet against five individuals, including two absconding Pakistani operatives. The case was initially registered in January 2021 by the Counter Intelligence Cell of Andhra Pradesh under IPC Sections 120B and 121A, Sections 17 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and Section 3 of the Official Secrets Act.
