Police officials said two women working for Pakistani intelligence spent months luring Indian naval personnel online, chasing secret passwords and submarines of the eastern coast. The Andhra Pradesh Counter Intelligence Cell announced the breakthrough under Operation Firewall 2026, describing it as a cross-border espionage network aimed at defence establishments in Visakhapatnam. The investigators named two operatives, Joshita Pal and Anvi Mehta.
As per the probe, Joshita Pal, posing as an employee of a shipbuilding company in Mumbai, allegedly made the first move to contact naval staff on Facebook before moving to chat on WhatsApp. Anvi Mehta, the second accused, pretended to be a Delhi-based psychologist and tried to honeytrap them over voice and video calls. Police revealed the duo asked for photographs of warships and sensitive sites and tried to get personnel to show restricted areas on camera. They allege the targets were also pushed to hand over their WhatsApp OTPs, which handlers used to activate accounts in India. Payments reportedly flowed through fraud cryptocurrency transfers and local traders.
The alleged operation, according to police officials, followed a pattern — established contact through fake social media profiles, built familiarity and trust, moved the conversation to WhatsApp, sought sensitive information through messages, voice calls, video calls, honeytrap attempts, and monetary inducements.
On Tuesday, the Andhra Pradesh Police detained two suspects: a Navy staffer identified as Annam Sai Varaprasad, a civilian contract driver for naval officers in Visakhapatnam, and Pradeep Mukherjee, a naval employee picked up in Coimbatore, for their alleged involvement in the racket. Of the eighteen suspects, thirteen are naval personnel who were allegedly involved in an espionage conspiracy prejudicial to national security, said officials. Both the accused have been sent to judicial custody. Police say they allegedly leaked naval information, including ship movements. The case invokes the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, and the Official Secrets Act. A senior officer said the investigation continues against other suspects.
“The Andhra Pradesh Counter Intelligence Cell received credible information regarding certain persons in India allegedly maintaining direct contact with Pakistan Intelligence Operatives (PIOs) and their suspected involvement in an espionage conspiracy prejudicial to the national security of India,” the release said.
Operation Firewall was launched on October 1st, with twelve counterintelligence operatives being deployed across 10 states and union territories, including Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Goa, Delhi, Navi Mumbai, Chhattisgarh, and Bihar, in coordination with the respective state anti-terrorism force, naval officials, and the local police.