Indian Navy Personnel Arrested on Alleged Espionage Charges for Pakistan

NEW DELHI: An Indian Navy personnel has been arrested in India on allegations of spying for Pakistan after he was allegedly trapped in an online honey trap involving a Pakistani woman, according to a BBC report.

The 31-year-old naval personnel, identified as Pradeep Mukherjee, was arrested by the Counter Intelligence Wing of the Andhra Pradesh Police for allegedly sharing sensitive information with a woman he met through social media. Investigators reportedly suspect that the case involved an online honey trap.

According to police records, Mukherjee is from West Bengal and joined the Indian Navy as a sailor in 2014. He was posted at the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam and had recently begun a management development course at INS Agrani, a naval leadership training establishment in Coimbatore.

Investigators said a woman had contacted Mukherjee through social media several months ago and allegedly claimed to have links with Pakistan’s intelligence service. The woman reportedly developed a close friendship with him and allegedly obtained sensitive information concerning warships at the Visakhapatnam naval base, their movements and other important operational details.

The Andhra Pradesh Police Counter Intelligence Cell reportedly began monitoring Mukherjee after detecting suspicious activity on social media. Following verification and approval from naval authorities, he was taken into custody.

Mukherjee was produced before a local magistrate and subsequently transferred to the Counter Intelligence headquarters in Vijayawada for further investigation.

Investigators are examining how much sensitive information was allegedly shared and whether Mukherjee received any financial compensation in exchange for the information.