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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Rupee falls 9 paise to all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): Rupee depreciated 9 paise to an all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade on Monday, weighed down by uncertainty over an India-US trade deal and persistent foreign fund outflows.
Forex traders said rupee is trading with a negative bias as investors are in wait and watch mode and awaiting cues from the India-US trade deal front.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.53 against the US dollar, then fell further to an all-time intraday low of 90.58 against the greenback, registering a fall of 9 paise over its previous close.
On Friday, the rupee had slipped 17 paise to close at an all-time low of 90.49 against the American currency.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.05 per cent lower at 98.35.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.52 per cent at USD 61.44 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex was trading 298.86 points lower at 84,968.80, while the Nifty was down 121.40 points at 25,925.55.
Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 1,114.22 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
"FPIs continue to be in selling mode in equity and debt while RBI has been selling dollars to fund their long positions," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
