Honey-trapped junior engineer held for giving sensitive information to Pakistani intelligence agent
Mumbai, May 29 (PTI): The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested a Thane-based man working as a junior engineer in a defence technology firm on the charge of providing sensitive information to a Pakistani intelligence agent, who honey-trapped him on social media, officials said.
The 27-year-old accused, identified as Ravindra Murlidhar Verma, is a resident of Kalwa in neighbouring Thane city, an official said on Thursday.
"Verma was working as a junior engineer with a firm involved in defence technology. As an employee of the company, he had access to enter the Naval Dockyard in south Mumbai and he used to work at the naval ships," he said.
Verma was honey-trapped by a Pakistani agent who posed as a woman and befriended him on Facebook, he said.
He was found to have shared sensitive information about a vital installation with the 'Pakistan Intelligence Operative' (PIO) through WhatsApp from November 2024 to March 2025, the official said.
Based on a tip-off, officials of the Thane unit of the ATS took Verma into its custody on Wednesday, he said.
A case was registered against him and two more persons who were in contact with him, under section 3 of the Official Secrets Act that deals with espionage, and section 61 (2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
After interrogation, Verma was placed under arrest for his alleged involvement in the crime, the official said.
He was produced before a court, which sent him to the ATS custody till Monday, he said.
The ATS is examining his mobile phones and gadgets used in sharing vital information through the social media platform with the PIO, he said.
Further probe in the case was underway.
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NIA court to complete framing of charges against 2010 hand-chopping case accused on May 15
Kochi (PTI): A special court here will complete proceedings for framing charges against the prime accused in the 2010 hand-chopping case involving professor T J Joseph, in which PFI activists were accused of attacking him at Muvattupuzha.
Ernakulam Special Court for NIA cases judge P K Mohandas, on April 30, heard the arguments of counsel for accused Savad and Shafeer C and decided to proceed with framing charges against the duo.
A group chopped off Thodupuzha Newman College professor Joseph's right hand in July 2010, accusing him of religious blasphemy in a question paper he had prepared.
The case, later taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), resulted in the conviction of 19 accused.
The first accused, Savad, who allegedly chopped off Joseph’s palm, was arrested in Berram in Mattannur, Kannur, in January 2024, where he had allegedly been hiding under the pseudonym Shajahan.
The NIA also arrested Shafeer, who allegedly arranged shelter and provided logistical support to Savad at Chakkad and Mattannur in Kannur since 2020.
On April 30, the court heard the counsel for the accused and the NIA prosecutor on framing charges against the duo.
"On going through the documents and evidence in the case and on hearing the counsel for the accused and the prosecutor, I am of the opinion that there are grounds for presuming that the first accused has committed offences punishable under provisions of the IPC, the Explosive Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and that the second accused has committed offences punishable under the IPC and the UAPA, and there are materials for framing charges under these provisions against the accused," the court said.
The court directed that Savad be produced and Shafeer, who is on bail, appear before it on May 15 for recording their pleas as part of the charge-framing process.
After framing the charges, the court will schedule the trial in the case.
