Police arrest UP, Gujarat men for allegedly leaking info about Indian Navy to Pak
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Karnataka Police have arrested three men—one from Gujarat and two from Uttar Pradesh—for allegedly passing on sensitive information related to the Indian Navy to handlers based in Pakistan, according to reports.
Officials said the Gujarat resident, 34-year-old Hirendra Kumar, was taken into custody on Saturday, while the other two accused, Rohit (29) and Santri (37) from Sultanpur district in Uttar Pradesh, had been arrested earlier in November. The three have been booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita concerning threats to India’s sovereignty and integrity, along with sections of the Official Secrets Act dealing with espionage and the unauthorised sharing of official information.
Police said Rohit and Santri were working as insulators with Shushma Marine Private Limited, a subcontractor engaged by the Udupi Cochin Shipyard. Investigators alleged that Rohit gathered confidential information about naval vessels, including identification numbers, repair timelines and details of sensitive infrastructure, and shared it with Pakistani operatives. They added that even after Rohit was transferred away from the site, the information-sharing allegedly continued with Santri’s help, Scroll.in reported.
According to the police, Kumar’s role was to supply Rohit with a SIM card registered in his own name in return for money. Officials claimed the SIM cards and one-time passwords were used to activate WhatsApp accounts that enabled communication with handlers in Pakistan.
The case surfaced in November after the chief executive officer of Cochin Shipyard lodged a complaint at the Malpe police station, flagging a possible security breach.
Separately, Arunachal Pradesh Police arrested five residents of Kashmir on Thursday on allegations of spying. A senior police official said they have been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and are accused of collecting sensitive information from various parts of Arunachal Pradesh and passing it on to handlers in Pakistan.