A 31-year-old Indian Navy sailor was arrested in Coimbatore on Saturday for allegedly leaking sensitive defence information to a female Pakistani intelligence operative in what investigators suspect was a honeytrap operation, as reported in Times of India.
The sailor, identified as Pradeep Mukherjee from West Bengal, was arrested by the Counter Intelligence (CI) Cell of the Andhra Pradesh Police while he was attending a management development course at INS Agrani, a naval leadership training establishment in the Red Fields area of Coimbatore.
Mukherjee had been serving under the Eastern Naval Command, based in Visakhapatnam. He had arrived at INS Agrani about a week before his arrest to attend the management development course.
Sailor Allegedly Trapped By Pakistani Operative
According to officials, Mukherjee was allegedly contacted by a female Pakistani intelligence operative through social media several months ago.
Investigators suspect that the operative gradually established contact and befriended the sailor before allegedly persuading him to share sensitive information related to naval operations.
The information allegedly transmitted included details concerning strategic naval assets, fleet movements and operational arrangements linked to the Visakhapatnam naval base.
The CI Cell reportedly began monitoring Mukherjee after detecting suspicious digital activity. Investigators subsequently gathered evidence allegedly linking him to the transmission of sensitive defence information.
After confirming his suspected involvement, the investigators obtained clearance from naval authorities to proceed with his arrest.
Arrest At INS Agrani
A specialised team from the Andhra Pradesh CI Cell arrived at INS Agrani in Coimbatore on Saturday morning and took Mukherjee into custody.
Local police officials were informed about the arrest, following which investigators produced the sailor before a local magistrate to obtain a transit warrant.
Mukherjee was subsequently taken to the Counter Intelligence headquarters in Vijayawada for further interrogation.
Investigators are now examining the extent of the alleged information leak and the nature of the defence material that may have been compromised.
Probe Into Possible Financial Transactions
The investigation is also examining whether Mukherjee received money in connection with the alleged information sharing.
Officials are probing possible financial transactions involving the sailor, including whether any payments were routed through hawala networks or digital payment channels.
The authorities are also examining the sailor’s digital communications and other electronic records to establish the full extent of his alleged contact with the Pakistani operative.
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