Husband and wife sentenced to 5.5 years in jail for Pakistan-linked espionage in Visakhapatnam

On February 24, 2025, the NIA Special Court in Visakhapatnam sentenced Abdul Rehman and his wife, Shaista Qaiser, to five and a half years of simple imprisonment, along with a fine of ₹5,000. The court convicted the couple under sections 17 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, for their involvement in a high-profile espionage case linked to Pakistani agencies.

The Visakhapatnam naval espionage case involves a group of individuals accused of leaking sensitive naval defense information to Pakistani intelligence agencies. The NIA arrested Abdul Rehman and Shaista Qaiser between December 2019 and June 2020. Investigations revealed that the couple had connections to Pakistani agents through their relatives in Pakistan and visited the country between August 14 and September 1, 2018.

The NIA discovered that the couple acted on instructions from these Pakistani agents, using various online money transfer Points of Sale (PoS) to funnel funds into the accounts of other accused individuals. They reportedly established this financial network to facilitate the leak of sensitive defense information, posing a significant threat to India’s national security.

The NIA has arrested a total of eight individuals in connection with the espionage case. The latest arrests include Vethan Laxman Tandel and Akshay Ravi Naik from Karnataka, and Abhilash P. A. from Kerala. These individuals are also believed to have helped transmit critical information that could jeopardize India’s defense systems.

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