Coimbatore: An Indian Navy sailor has been arrested for allegedly passing sensitive maritime information to a Pakistani intelligence operative after being drawn into a social media-based honey-trap operation, officials said on Sunday.
The Andhra Pradesh Police Counter Intelligence (CI) unit took 31-year-old Pradeep Mukherjee into custody on October 3 from INS Agrani, a naval leadership training establishment in Coimbatore, official sources said.
Mukherjee, who is from West Bengal, joined the Navy in 2014 and was serving under the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam. He had arrived at INS Agrani for a management development course and had spent nearly a week at the facility before his arrest, as reported by The Pioneer.
Sources said a woman suspected to be linked to Pakistani intelligence had approached Mukherjee through social media several months ago. Investigators believe the online contact was later exploited to extract confidential information from the sailor.
According to the sources, Mukherjee allegedly disclosed information concerning strategic naval installations, movement of fleet assets and the operational structure of the Visakhapatnam naval base.
The CI unit, which handles investigations into cross-border espionage and terror threats, initiated action after identifying suspicious digital activity allegedly associated with the sailor.
The investigators then monitored Mukherjee’s movements and communications before arresting him, sources said.
Authorities are examining the case to determine the exact nature and volume of the information allegedly shared, besides establishing the Pakistani operative’s role in the suspected espionage network.
