How did a Pakistan-linked spy network target Navy’s Eastern Command, and how was it cracked? | Explained

The story so far:

A team of officers and personnel from Andhra Pradesh’s Counter Intelligence Cell (CIC), working with Naval Intelligence and Anti-Terrorist Squads (ATS) across 10 States, has busted a major Pakistan-sponsored espionage network allegedly focused on gathering field intelligence on the Indian Navy, with the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) as a particular target. The investigation and subsequent crackdown were carried out under the code name Operation Firewall-2026.

The operation led to the identification of 18 key suspects, including 13 naval personnel spread across 10 States — Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Chhattisgarh.

Two people have so far been arrested: Pradeep Mukherjee, an ENC-posted sailor who was arrested on October 3 while undergoing training at INS Agrani in Coimbatore, and Annam Sai Vara Prasad, a civilian contract driver engaged for naval officers at the Visakhapatnam naval base.

What is this espionage racket?

As in several cross-border espionage operations, Pakistan Intelligence Operatives (PIOs) allegedly created fake profiles of women on social media to honey-trap servicemen and defence contractors.

Trained women operatives using pseudonyms — including “Joshita Pall,” who claimed to work for a shipbuilding firm in Mumbai, and “Anvi Mehta,” who purported to be a Delhi-based psychologist — allegedly made initial contact through Facebook before moving the conversations to WhatsApp.

According to investigators, the operatives approached defence personnel through fake social media profiles and, after establishing familiarity and trust, gradually shifted to text messages, voice calls and video calls.

The strategy involved fabricated professional identities, promises of relationships or other inducements, sexually explicit content and monetary incentives, including payments through cryptocurrency. The ultimate objective, investigators allege, was to persuade personnel to share sensitive defence information.

The information sought reportedly included the movement and numbers of naval ships and submarines, photographs and videos of naval assets and sensitive installations, and the identities and movements of commanding officers. Operatives also allegedly tried to persuade personnel to show sensitive areas of naval bases, ships and submarines during video calls.

It remains unclear whether sexually explicit material was subsequently used for blackmail or coercion to obtain sensitive information.