Visakhapatnam: A major network leaking sensitive Indian Navy information to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence has been busted by Andhra Pradesh's Counter Intelligence Cell, in an operation code-named 'Operation Firewall-2026'.
The probe identified 18 key suspects, 13 of them naval personnel, spread across 10 states: Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Chhattisgarh.
Two people have been arrested so far. They are Pradeep Mukherjee, a sailor posted at the Eastern Naval Command who was taken into custody from INS Agrani in Coimbatore, and Annam Sai Varaprasad, a civilian contract driver engaged for naval officers at the Visakhapatnam naval base.
Cases were registered under Section 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Sections 17 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Section 3 of the Official Secrets Act.
According to investigators, ISI handlers scanned social media to pick vulnerable naval personnel, contractors and civil servants, and used digital honey-trapping. Two female agents operating under the pseudonyms 'Joshita Pall' and 'Anvi Mehta' were in direct contact with the two arrested men. Their profiles were fake and showed signs of having been generated using artificial intelligence.
The ISI reportedly sought schedules of ship and submarine movements, photographs and videos of sensitive installations, details of Commanding Officers, and live views of bases during video calls. The network's pattern is being compared with the 2019 'Operation Dolphin's Nose' case.
Investigators said the suspects tried to destroy phones and other evidence. Bank transactions and hawala channels are being examined. More details are expected from forensic analysis, and further arrests are possible, the officials said.