Stories
Visakhapatnam Espionage Hub: Navy Personnel Fall Victim to Honey-Trap Again
- •Pakistan's ISI continues efforts to honey-trap Indian Navy personnel, specifically targeting Visakhapatnam as a major espionage hub.
- •Over the past 7 years, 9 individuals have been convicted for leaking confidential information to Pakistan, with 18 people currently under scrutiny.
- •Andhra Pradesh's Counter Intelligence Unit has launched 'Operation Firewall', deploying 12 teams to conduct raids across 10 states.
- •Visakhapatnam houses the headquarters of the Indian Navy's Eastern Naval Command, making it a strategically vital center for national security.
- •Pradeep Mukherjee, a 31-year-old Navy personnel, was arrested from Coimbatore for allegedly leaking maritime intelligence after falling for a honey-trap.
Key Questions Answered
Operation Firewall is a campaign launched by 12 teams to apprehend suspected spies and investigate links to Pakistan's intelligence agencies. It involves raids across ten states, including Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Karnataka, following an investigation where 18 people—including 12 Navy personnel—came under the scanner for alleged espionage.
Visakhapatnam houses the Eastern Naval Command headquarters and acts as a vital center where maximum warships and submarines remain active for surveillance. Due to its critical geographical significance in monitoring the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal, it has historically been targeted by Pakistan's ISI, leading to multiple espionage cases and convictions over the past seven years.
In 2019, Operation Dolphin's Nose led to the arrest of seven naval personnel and a hawala operator for leaking ship and submarine secrets. The NIA took over in 2020, expanding total arrests to 15. Subsequent cases emerged in 2021 with arrests in Karnataka and Kerala, and in 2024 with searches in Gujarat and Maharashtra. Visakhapatnam's Special NIA Court convicted several individuals, including a sentence handed down in January 2026.
