Security forces have arrested a man from the headquarters of the Indian Navy in Delhi on charges of spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The accused person is Vishal Yadav. The accused is said to have spilled sensitive information about the Indian Navy as well as other defense installations during Operation Sindoor.
The Intelligence Wing of the Rajasthan Police arrested Vishal Yadav. He is a Haryana resident and a clerk at the naval headquarters. The intelligence wing arrested him after monitoring his activities for months. A senior police officer, Vishnukant Gupta, confirmed Yadav had been in constant touch with a Pakistani female handler on social networking sites.
Indian Navy Spy Case Involved Crypto Payments
The Pakistani handler, who presented herself as Priya Sharma, compensated Yadav in return for sensitive military information. “This woman, who calls herself Priya Sharma, was paying him money to get confidential information of strategic value,” Gupta said.
Investigations confirmed that Yadav had transmitted confidential information through his cellphone. He accepted payments in a cryptocurrency trading account and direct bank transfers. Yadav had become addicted to gaming and started leaking information in an attempt to offset financial losses from online gaming, officials said.
Operation Sindoor Data Among Compromised Files by Indian Navy Clerk
The authorities are also investigating the scope of the violation. Preliminary indications are that the sensitive data leaked by Yadav includes information from crucial defense missions like Operation Sindoor. Expert forensic teams are examining his computer hardware to determine the overall extent of the security lapse.
“Data from his cellphone revealed that Vishal Yadav had provided confidential information related to the Navy and other defense units to a woman who was his Pakistani handler in exchange for money,” a source said.
Interrogation and National Security Implications
Several intelligence agencies are questioning Yadav at the Central Interrogation Center in Jaipur. Agencies are investigating how much strategic information Yadav compromised and whether more people are involved in the spy network.
The case points to the increasing danger of espionage activities leveraging the use of social media as recruitment and communication channels.
Security agencies asked the general public to inform them about any suspicious online activities. “The arrest again highlights the use of social media as a big medium in spy rings,” an official stated.