Andhra Pradesh Police arrest two more in Pakistan-linked espionage case

Mangalore Today News Network

Amaravati, Oct 28, 2026: Andhra Pradesh police have arrested two more persons from Bihar in connection with an alleged espionage network involving Pakistani intelligence operatives who reportedly used one-time passwords (OTPs) linked to Indian SIM cards to activate WhatsApp accounts.

The arrests were made during the second phase of Operation Firewall-2026, launched on October 25, an official statement said on Wednesday.

The accused have been identified as Raja Kumar, a point-of-sale (POS) agent, and Aditya Kumar alias Aditya Kumar Pandey. Both are residents of Raxaul in Bihar.

They were produced before the jurisdictional court in Vijayawada on Wednesday and remanded to judicial custody until November 10, the statement said.

Investigators found that Raja Kumar allegedly facilitated the activation of WhatsApp accounts linked to several Indian mobile numbers by sharing their OTPs with Pakistani intelligence operatives through handlers in Nepal.

He also allegedly arranged a mobile payments bank account in another person’s name to receive payments for providing SIM-card OTPs. A substantial amount was reportedly deposited into the account.

According to the police, one Pakistani intelligence operative using the names “Soni” or “Soni Queen” allegedly contacted Annam Sai Vara Prasad, a civilian contract driver engaged by naval officials in Visakhapatnam, and obtained classified information about warships and submarines of the Eastern Naval Command.

Another operative, identified as “Joshita Pall”, allegedly attempted to obtain classified information from personnel in Visakhapatnam by transferring money to induce them, police said.

Aditya Kumar allegedly worked with Raja Kumar, other individuals in Raxaul and Pakistani agents identified as Wasim, Sultan and Nayeem. He reportedly facilitated WhatsApp account activation using OTPs linked to Indian SIM cards and communicated with Pakistani agents through encrypted platforms.

The Andhra Pradesh Counter Intelligence Cell registered a case on September 2 under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Official Secrets Act, 1923. The case followed intelligence inputs about suspected espionage activities targeting naval and defence establishments.

As part of the investigation, police arrested Annam Sai Vara Prasad in Visakhapatnam on October 1 and Pradip Mukharjee, a naval employee at the Visakhapatnam Naval Base, in Coimbatore on October 3. Both are currently lodged in Vijayawada District Jail.