Stories
Visakhapatnam Naval Espionage: Angel Payal Trap Exposed
- •A woman using the alias Angel Payal trapped two Navy-linked employees through a fake Facebook account to leak sensitive defense secrets to Pakistan-linked operatives.
- •Andhra Pradesh Counter Intelligence cell arrested two more individuals, Bongu Ravi and Kadari Srinivas, bringing the total arrests in the case to four.
- •Accused Srinivas was tracked down and brought from Saudi Arabia via New Delhi on October 11 following relentless police efforts.
- •Investigators launched Operation Firewall-2026, deploying 12 teams across 10 states and Union Territories to dismantle the espionage module.
- •The operation revealed that Pakistani operatives use fake social media profiles operated by women to lure defense personnel with money in exchange for sensitive information.
Key Questions Answered
A woman using the alias 'Angel Payal' created a fake Facebook profile to befriend and connect two naval-associated employees, Bongu Ravi and Kadari Srinivas, while posing as a Dubai-based shipping logistics employee. She lured them with promises of money to leak sensitive Indian defense information to Pakistan-linked operatives.
As part of 'Operation Firewall-2026', a total of four individuals have been arrested by the Andhra Pradesh Counter Intelligence cell. The investigation has placed at least 18 suspects under the scanner across 10 states and Union Territories, with 13 of those suspects reportedly linked to the Navy.
Kadari Srinivas had traveled to Saudi Arabia in early October. Following relentless efforts by police to bring him back, he yielded to pressure and arrived at New Delhi's airport on October 11, where Visakhapatnam City Police and CI cell officials took him into custody.
