The Andhra Pradesh Police Counter Intelligence (CI) Cell has arrested a 31-year-old Indian Navy sailor for allegedly leaking classified maritime secrets to a female Pakistani intelligence operative in a sophisticated social media “honey-trap” campaign.
The suspect, identified as Pradeep Mukherjee, was taken into custody on October 3 at INS Agrani—a premier naval leadership training establishment in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Mukherjee, a native of West Bengal who joined the Navy in 2014, had been posted with the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam. He had arrived at the Coimbatore facility just a week prior to attend a management development course when intelligence officials moved in.
The Anatomy of the Digital Trap
According to investigative sources, the breach began several months ago when a female persona managed by Pakistani intelligence established contact with Mukherjee across social media platforms. Over months of sustained interactions, the operative built an online relationship with the sailor, leveraging emotional manipulation to elicit high-level defence intelligence.
The compromised data reportedly includes sensitive operational parameters regarding:
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Strategic naval assets deployed across the Eastern seaboard.
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Fleet movement logs and tactical deployment schedules.
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The operational setup and security infrastructure of the Visakhapatnam naval base.
Digital Footprints & Interrogation
The elite Counter Intelligence Cell—which handles high-profile cross-border espionage and counter-terrorism threats—flagged Mukherjee after detecting abnormal digital activity and data transmissions originating from his profiles. Investigators placed him under covert digital and physical surveillance to trace the network.
Once his involvement was corroborated, CI personnel secured formal clearances from naval authorities, swooped in at INS Agrani, and took him into custody. Local police in Coimbatore were formally apprised of the operation.
Mukherjee was subsequently produced before a local magistrate to secure a transit warrant. He is being transferred to the Counter Intelligence headquarters in Vijayawada for intensive custodial interrogation. Investigators are currently auditing the exact volume of compromised defence files and probing potential financial trail links involving hawala networks or digital payment gateways.
