Pakistani National Among 2 Charged In Indian Navy Spying Case: NIA

On Wednesday, the anti-terror government investigation agency NIA said it had filed a charge sheet against two people, including a suspected Pakistani national, in an espionage case that was found in Andhra Pradesh earlier this year. The case involved the Indian Navy.

In an official statement, the NIA said that a charge sheet had been filed against Akash Solanki (21) of Uttar Pradesh and Pakistani agent Meer Balaj Khan, who was on the run, under the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The charges were filed in the Special Court in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.

The NIA said that the case was first filed at the Counter Intelligence Cell Police Station in Vijayawada. On June 5, this year, the case was taken over by the NIA. So far, the case has led to the arrest of two people, including Solanki.

The NIA says that accused Solanki, who worked as an Electrical Artificer Radio Apprentice (EAC) at the Visakhapatnam Naval Dockyard, gave out secret knowledge about Indian Navy warships and submarines.

The NIA said, “He shared the information with a suspected Pakistani intelligence agent who went by the name ‘Aditi Chouhan’ and with other people who have not been named.”

It said that investigations into the case also showed that Solanki was getting money from another suspected Pakistani spy, Meer Balaj Khan, through crypto channels in return for the information.

“During investigations, Khan’s credentials from Binance, the largest cryptocurrency exchange, showed a Pakistani ID card,” the NIA said.

The agency said that they and other Pakistan Intelligence officers were part of the espionage ring in which sensitive information about the Indian Navy was leaked as part of a plot against India.