Two arrested; 13 Navy personnel out of 18 under scanner for alleged leaks to Pakistani intelligence agents

Two people have been arrested and 16 others are being investigated in an espionage case involving alleged leaks of naval information to Pakistani intelligence officials. Image is for representational purposes only. | Photo credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

The Counter Intelligence Cell (CIC) of the Andhra Pradesh Intelligence Department has uncovered a spy module in which 18 people, including 13 navy personnel, are suspected of passing sensitive information to Pakistani intelligence operatives. Two of them were arrested.

The suspects allegedly shared information related to defense installations and strategic locations at the Visakhapatnam naval base and other parts of the country with Pakistan’s intelligence officers (PIOs), intelligence officials said on Tuesday (Oct 06, 2026).

Acting on a tip-off, the Vijayawada Counter Intelligence Police 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 Act23 and other provisions of the Official Secrets Act, 19

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, counter-terrorism units and local police to search the premises of the 18 suspects, verify their complicity and seize their electronic equipment.

Two arrested

Annam Sai Vara Prasad, a civilian contract driver employed for naval officers, was arrested in Visakhapatnam for allegedly sharing classified information about naval facilities with a Pakistani intelligence agent and accepting money. He was produced before the court and sent to Visakhapatnam jail on remand till October 14.

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

Mr. Mukherjee, 31, joined the Navy in 2014 and was posted at the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam. The CIC, after detecting suspicious digital activity, placed him under surveillance and arrested him on October 3 when he was on a training program in Coimbatore. He was reportedly in contact with a Pakistani agent, a woman he met on social media a few months ago.

Counterintelligence officials are trying to find out how long the accused shared confidential information with Pakistani agents, what data and photos were sent, how much money they received and whether others were involved. A detailed investigation into the spy module is underway, officials said.

Published – 06 Oct 2026 17:34 IST