The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested three men for leaking sensitive information to intelligence operatives based in Pakistan, the agency announced on Wednesday.

According to the NIA, these men were sharing confidential details about India's defence establishments at Karwar Naval Base and Kochi Naval Base. The arrested individuals are Vethan Laxman Tandel and Akshay Ravi Naik, who were taken into custody from Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka, and Abhilash P A, who was arrested in Kochi, Kerala. The three suspects who were taken into custody on Tuesday with the help of the local police were found to have been in touch with Pakistan Intelligence Operatives (PIOs) via social media, said the agency.

The NIA noted that the accused were reciveing fair amount of money from the PIOs in exchange of the Indian defence establishment’s sensitive information. According to NIA, the were involved in sharing information of the Karwar Naval Base as well as Kochi Naval Base. In the case, a total of 8 people have been taken into custody as of now, according to statement. Five people, including two fugitive Pakistani agents, have been charged by the NIA thus far in the case, which was first filed by the Andhra Pradesh Counter Intelligence Cell in January 2021. 

According to NIA investigations, Pakistani national Meer Balaj Khan and an apprehended man named Akash Solanki were part of an anti-India conspiracy that comprised espionage and the disclosure of critical and sensitive information about the Indian Navy.  Additionally, the NIA has charged two individuals, Manmohan Surendra Panda and Amaan Salim Shaikh, along with another fugitive PIO, Alven. In June 2023, the case was taken over by the agency. “The anti-terror agency will continue its probe in the case to unravel the espionage conspiracy by Pak-based and other anti-national elements,” the statement said.