February 19, 2025: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested three more individuals in connection with the ISI-linked espionage case involving the leak of classified naval defence information. With these latest arrests, the total number of accused in the case has risen to eight.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Vethan Laxman Tandel and Akshay Ravi Naik from Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka, and Abhilash PA from Kochi, Kerala. According to NIA sources, they were allegedly in contact with Pakistan Intelligence Operatives (PIOs) through social media and were involved in passing on sensitive information related to the Karwar and Kochi naval bases in exchange for money.

The case was initially registered by the Counter Intelligence Cell in Andhra Pradesh in January 2021 before being transferred to the NIA in June 2023. So far, the NIA has filed a chargesheet against five accused, including two absconding Pakistani operatives. Among them, Pakistani national Meer Balaj Khan and an arrested accused, Akash Solanki, are said to be key figures in the espionage racket. Another absconding operative, identified as Alven, along with Manmohan Surendra Panda and Amaan Salim Shaikh, has also been named in the chargesheet.

The Karwar link to the case surfaced in August 2024, when NIA teams from Hyderabad and Bengaluru conducted investigations into a naval base information leak. During the probe, authorities uncovered that the accused were allegedly honey-trapped by a Pakistani agent posing as a marine officer on Facebook. Reports suggest that the woman gained their trust and provided financial incentives of ₹5,000 per month for eight months in exchange for classified details regarding warship movements, operational security, and naval protocols.

Further scrutiny led investigators to establish a connection between the Karwar-based suspects and Deepak, a key figure arrested in Visakhapatnam in 2023. Transactions from the same bank account used for payments to Deepak and his associates were linked to funds received by Vethan Tandel and Akshay Naik. However, payments ceased following Deepak's arrest. Based on these findings, NIA teams launched an operation in Karwar on August 27, 2024, leading to the latest round of arrests.

The NIA continues to investigate the broader network behind the espionage operation and is expected to take further action against those involved.