Telangana Among 7 States Hit by NIA Espionage Raids
Hyderabad: Telangana was among the seven States in India where the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has searched multiple locations in a massive crackdown in the Pakistan-led Visakhapatnam espionage case
Extensive searches were conducted at 16 locations in Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Haryana in the case related to leakage of classified defence information through a Pakistani ISI espionage racket, according to NIA.
The premises searched by NIA teams were linked with suspects who had received money from Pakistan to undertake spying activities in India. A total of 22 mobile phones and a host of sensitive documents were seized during the searches conducted by NIA, which had, in July 2023, taken over the instant case, originally registered in January 2021 by the Counter Intelligence Cell, Andhra Pradesh.
The case involved leakage of sensitive vital information pertaining to the Indian Navy as part of an anti-India conspiracy hatched from across the border. The NIA had, on July 19, 2023 filed a charge-sheet against two accused, including an absconding Pakistani national, Meer Balaj Khan. Investigations had revealed that Meer Balaj Khan, along with an arrested accused, Akash Solanki, had been involved in the espionage racket.
On November 6, 2023, the NIA had filed a supplementary charge-sheet against two other accused persons, identified as Manmohan Surendra Panda and Alven. While Panda has been arrested, Alven, a Pakistani Intelligence Operative, is absconding. In May 2024, the NIA filed its second supplementary charge-sheet against one accused, Amaan Salim Shaikh, conspiring with Pakistan Intelligence Operatives. Investigations in the high-profile case are continuing.