The National Investigation Agency on Wednesday filed a charge sheet against two persons including a suspected Pakistani national in an espionage case related to the Indian Navy unearthed in Andhra Pradesh earlier this year.
The charge sheet was filed against Akash Solanki (21) of Uttar Pradesh and absconding Pakistani operative Meer Balaj Khan under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the NIA Special Court, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, a spokesperson of the federal agency said.
The case was registered initially at the Counter Intelligence Cell Police Station, Vijayawada, and was subsequently re-registered by the NIA on June 5. Two persons, including Solanki, have so far been arrested in the case.
The spokesperson said Solanki, who was working as an Electrical Artificer Radio Apprentice (EAC) at the Naval dockyard, Vishakhapatnam, was passing on classified information relating to the Indian Navy warships and submarines.
"He was sharing the information with a suspected Pakistani intelligence operative, operating under the assumed identity of 'Aditi Chouhan', as well as other unidentified individuals," the official said.
The NIA said investigations had revealed that Solanki had been receiving monetary compensation from another suspected Pakistani operative Meer Balaj Khan through crypto channels in exchange for the information.
"Khan’s credentials obtained from Binance (leading Crypto-currency exchange) disclosed a Pakistan ID card during investigations," the spokesperson said.
Along with other Pakistan Intelligence agents, they were involved in the espionage racket in which sensitive information pertaining to the Indian Navy was being leaked as part of an anti-India conspiracy, the agency said.
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(Edited by : Sangam Singh)
First Published: Jul 19, 2023 6:18 PM IST
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