Andhra Pradesh’s Counter Intelligence Cell (CIC) has so far questioned 13 Navy personnel and identified 18 suspects in the case over the alleged sharing of maritime intelligence to Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs).
A “honey-trap” espionage racket involving Indian Navy personnel in Visakhapatnam, which came to light recently, has put online entrapment of defence personnel back in the spotlight.
IAF officer arrested in 2026
Fifteen people, including seven Indian Navy sailors and a Mumbai-based hawala operator, were arrested on charges of having links with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence and spying for Pakistan after being lured by women into relationships online. The IAF officer was booked under the relevant sections of the Official Secrets Act (OSA) after a case was registered at the special cell police station and taken in judicial custody in June. The Air Force had also initiated court-martial proceedings against him before handing him over to the police.
In December 2019, the Andhra Pradesh CIC busted a similar espionage racket in the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam, under “Operation Dolphin’s Nose”. In Delhi, a 44-year-old serving Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander was arrested in May this year for allegedly sharing sensitive defence information and classified documents with a PIO after being “honey-trapped” through social media. Police said the officer was allegedly contacted by a woman suspected to be working for Pakistani intelligence. Earlier that year, Delhi Police arrested IAF jawan Devendra Sharma – an administrative assistant at the Air Force Records Office in Subroto Park – over allegations that he was “honey-trapped” by a Pakistan-based woman and that he leaked sensitive information concerning defence installations and personnel.
BrahMos engineer case
The women introduced them to a businessman, who happened to be a Pakistani handler. Another significant case dates back to 2018, when BrahMos Aerospace engineer Nishant Agarwal was arrested on allegations of spying for Pakistan. Agarwal was sentenced to life-imprisonment in 2024 by a Nagpur court.
The sailors would receive money from a hawala operator for their services.
The sailors were recruited in early 2017 and a year later, contacted by “three to four women”, who lured them into online relationships, officials said. The case is still under investigation and the accused are in prison, the officials said. In 2023, a high-profile “honey-trap” espionage case came to light when the Maharashtra ATS arrested Pradeep Kurulkar, a scientist with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Kurulkar, then heading the DRDO’s Research and Development Establishment (Engineers) laboratory in Pune, was allegedly contacted by a woman who called herself “Zara Dasgupta”. Investigators said she was a Pakistani intelligence operative (PIO). Investigators alleged he was “honey-trapped” through fake social media profiles and that sensitive BrahMos-related information was accessed through his computer.
