NIA indicts 13 accused in espionage case

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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a charge sheet against 13 accused persons in the espionage case.

On Saturday (September 5, 2026), the agency identified them as Praveen, Raj Valmiki, Shiva Valmiki, Ritik Gangwar, Suhel Malik, Sameer, Durgesh Nishad, Naushad, Gagan Kumar, Vivek, Shivraj, Meera Thakur and Shane Iram. She filed a detailed investigation report (FIR) against five minors with the Juvenile Justice Committee in May.

The case was initially registered on March 14, 2026 at Kaushambi police station in Ghaziabad. So far, 21 accused have been arrested in connection with the case.

“Investigation has established that the accused persons entered into a criminal conspiracy to commit illegal acts and serious crimes prejudicial to the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India,” the NIA said.

According to the agency, the accused illegally entered, approached and gained access to restricted/sensitive areas of vital importance, installed spy cameras and transmitted sensitive information – including geotagged photos and videos – to entities located in “enemy country”.

“They have also enabled such entities linked to an enemy state in obtaining and using Indian SIM cards for illegal activities and actively assisted them in obtaining photographs and videos of sensitive installations along with their precise GPS coordinates, which has the potential to threaten the sovereignty, unity, integrity and security of the nation,” it said.

Published – 05 Sep 2026 23:01 IST