NIA arrests two in K’taka for leaking sensitive Karwar naval base information to Pakistan
Karwar: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) sleuths have arrested two individuals in connection with the leaking of sensitive information regarding the Karwar Naval Base to Pakistan, sources confirmed on Tuesday.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Vetana Tandel, a resident of Muduga village, and Akshay Naik, a resident of Halavalli in the Karwar district of Karnataka. A team from Hyderabad arrived in Karwar on Monday and took the accused into custody.
In August 2024, the NIA questioned three individuals — Vetana Tandel, Akshay Naik, and Sunil, a resident of Todur — regarding the information leak. At the time, all three were released, but the agency continued to monitor their activities.
Sources revealed that the authorities suspect the accused were trapped by Pakistani agencies through honey trapping. A female Pakistani agent allegedly used the accused to gather sensitive information.
The agent reportedly collected detailed information about the accused and sent them friend requests on Facebook in 2023.
The accused allegedly sent photographs of the Karwar Naval Base along with details of naval movements to Pakistan in exchange for money. Their role in the espionage came to light following the arrest of one Deepak and others by the NIA in Hyderabad in 2023.
Investigators have also discovered that money was deposited into the accused’s bank accounts as payment for their ‘services’.
Vetana and Akshay worked on a contract basis with Iron and Mercury, a company located in the Chandya region of Karwar. Sunil, who previously worked as a contract worker at the canteen at the Sea Bird Naval Base, is currently employed as a driver.
The NIA has gathered further intelligence regarding their activities. The arrested individuals will be interrogated regarding the information leak. The NIA team is also meeting with officers of the Sea Bird Naval Base in Karwar as part of the investigation.
Authorities suspect that more individuals may be involved in the case.
INS Kadamba or Naval Base Karwar or Project Seabird is an Indian Navy base located near Karwar in Karnataka. INS Kadamba is currently the third-largest Indian naval base and is expected to become the largest naval base in the eastern hemisphere after the completion of expansion.
Both the Navy’s aircraft carriers INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant are based at Karwar. The base also has the country’s first sealift facility, a unique “shiplift” and transfer system for docking and undocking ships and submarines.