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Absconding suspected Pakistani national among two charge-sheeted in Andhra in Indian Navy spy racket

Akash Solanki, working at the Naval Dockyard in Vizag, was passing on classified information relating to Indian Navy warships and submarines.

BySouth First Desk

Published Jul 20, 2023 | 6:51 AM ⚊UpdatedJul 20, 2023 | 6:51 AM

Akash Solanki was passing information about Navy warships and submarines to Pakistani operatives. (Wikimedia Commons)

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday, 19 July, filed a charge sheet against two accused in Andhra Pradesh, including a suspected Pakistani national, in an espionage case relating to the Indian Navy.

The two charge-sheeted have been identified as Akash Solanki and absconding operative Meer Balaj Khan. Along with other Pakistan intelligence agents, they were involved in an espionage racket in which sensitive information pertaining to the Indian Navy was being leaked as part of an anti-India conspiracy.

Modus operandi

Akash Solanki, who was working as an Electrical Artificer Radio Apprentice at the Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam, was passing on classified information relating to Indian Navy warships and submarines.

He was sharing the information with a suspected Pakistani intelligence operative, working under the assumed identity of “Aditi Chouhan”, as well as other unidentified individuals.

NIA investigations had further revealed that Solanki had been receiving monetary compensation from another suspected Pakistani operative, Meer Balaj Khan, through crypto channels in exchange for information.

Meer Khan’s credentials obtained from Binance (leading crypto-currency exchange) disclosed a Pakistan ID card during investigations.

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More about the case

Both Akash Solanki (aged 21 and a native of Firozabad district in Uttar Pradesh) and Meer Balaj Khan were charge-sheeted Wednesday under relevant sections of the Indian Penal code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the NIA Special Court, Vijayawada.

The case had been registered initially at the Counter Intelligence Cell police station, Vijayawada, and was subsequently re-registered by the NIA on 5 June as case no RC-02/2023/NIA/HYD.

Two persons, including Solanki, have so far been arrested in the case, in which further investigations are in process.