NIA officials to investigate Navy espionage racket in Visakhapatnam

A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials is expected to arrive in Visakhapatnam soon to probe the espionage racket that recently came to light in Indian Navy. According to sources, the team will investigate the case, in which seven Indian Navy personnel were arrested for their alleged involvement with terror groups in Pakistan. In the aftermath of the incident, the Indian Navy has also banned the use of smartphones and social media.

As reported earlier, the Andhra Pradesh Intelligence wing, the Navy, and Central Intelligence agencies had jointly launched Operation Dolphin’s Nose and arrested seven sailors in Visakhapatnam. The accused, who were produced before the NIA court in Vijayawada on 20 December, will remain under judicial custody till 3 January 2020. While the accused belong to different parts of the country, they were stationed in Visakhapatnam.

Reportedly, the accused had fallen prey to a honey trap on Facebook in September 2018. Lured on the pretext of online relationships, the sailors were later blackmailed to reveal confidential information, about the movements of Indian warships and submarines to Pakistan. In order to carry out further investigation, the NIA team will visit the naval base in Visakhapatnam and inquire about the suspects. 

Indian Navy bans use of smartphones, social media within naval establishments

In the wake of the espionage racket, the Indian Navy has issued a new directive on Monday, banning the navy personnel from using smartphones and social media within the naval establishments and platforms. The restriction has been imposed to avoid the officials from becoming targets of honey traps run by spies on Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp and other social media platforms.