Follow TNM’s WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, has convicted and sentenced two more individuals in the Visakhapatnam Navy espionage case, the agency said on Friday, November 7.
The court sentenced Kalavalapalli Konda Babu from Visakhapatnam district (Andhra Pradesh) and Aviansh Somal from Kangra district (Himachal Pradesh) to five years and ten months of simple imprisonment each under Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Section 3 of the Official Secrets Act.
Both have also been fined Rs 5,000 each. In case of non-payment, they will serve an additional year of simple imprisonment, the NIA said in a statement.
“With this, a total of six accused persons have been convicted and sentenced so far in connection with the case, which involves the sharing of sensitive information related to Indian naval establishments,” the agency added.
According to the NIA, the two men were arrested in December 2019 from Mumbai (Maharashtra) and Karwar (Karnataka), respectively. Investigations revealed that they had been in touch with foreign intelligence operatives via social media and messaging platforms and had shared sensitive details related to Indian defence establishments.
The agency said both individuals first came in contact with the operatives through Facebook and later received monetary benefits in exchange for information. These transactions were allegedly routed through intermediaries — Abdul Rehman, Haroon Lakdawala, Shaista Qaiser, and Imran Giteli — who were convicted earlier this year.
According to the NIA, these four intermediaries had deposited various amounts into the accounts of the accused as part of the alleged espionage network.
The NIA took over the case in December 2019 from the Counter-Intelligence Police Station of the Andhra Pradesh Intelligence Department. A total of 15 accused have been arrested so far.
The agency filed a charge sheet against 14 accused in June 2020 and a supplementary charge sheet against one more person in March 2021. Further investigation and trial against the remaining accused are continuing.