VIJAYAWADA: Following the arrest of a naval officer for leaking vital defense information to a Pakistani intelligence agency, 13 additional naval personnel have been placed under surveillance. Authorities are investigating whether these individuals have passed classified security-related information to Pakistan. An inquiry has been launched against 18 people, including naval officials.
Pradip Mukherjee, a naval officer from West Bengal, was apprehended recently. He was arrested by the Counter Intelligence wing of the Andhra Pradesh Police from the Naval Training Centre in Coimbatore. Mukherjee has been remanded in judicial custody until October 14 and is currently held at the Vijayawada District Jail. In connection with the case, police also arrested Annam Sai Varaprasad, a contract driver at the Visakhapatnam Naval Base, to investigate whether he received monetary compensation for gathering and relaying information.
Acting on intelligence that certain individuals in India were in direct contact with Pakistani intelligence operatives, the Andhra Pradesh Counter Intelligence Cell coordinated 12 teams to launch ‘Operation Firewall-2026’. As part of this operation, simultaneous raids were conducted across 10 states and union territories, including Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. Electronic devices were seized from suspicious individuals, and officials stated that further investigations into the matter are underway.
For more details: Navamalayalam.com