NIA chargesheets two in espionage case

 Hyderabad: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has chargesheeted two individuals, including a suspected Pakistani national, in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, in an espionage case related to the Indian Navy. The accused are identified as Akash Solanki, who has been arrested, and the absconding Pakistani operative Meer Balaj Khan. They were allegedly involved in an espionage racket along with other Pakistani intelligence agents.

Akash Solanki, 21, was employed as an electrical artificer radio apprentice (EAC) at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam. He allegedly passed on classified information concerning Navy warships and submarines to a Pakistani intelligence operative operating under the identity of 'Aditi Chouhan' and other unidentified individuals.

The NIA's investigation revealed that Akash received financial compensation from Balaj through cryptocurrency channels in exchange for the classified information. Balaj's details were obtained from Binance, a prominent cryptocurrency exchange.

Both Akash, a resident of Firozabad district in Uttar Pradesh, and Balaj have been charge-sheeted under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the NIA special court in Vijayawada.

The case was initially registered at the counterintelligence cell of Vijayawada police and was subsequently taken over by the NIA on June 5, 2023. Apart from Akash, another individual has been arrested in connection with the case, and further investigation is currently underway.