Anti-terror court sentences two more accused in Pak-linked espionage case

A National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Tuesday sentenced two more accused in the Pakistan-linked Visakhapatnam Navy espionage case to simple imprisonment (SI), along with a fine. The accused, identified as Ashok Kumar and Vikas Kumar, hailing from Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu and Alwar districts, respectively, will have to undergo SI of 5 years and 11 months, a statement issued by the NIA said.

They also face an additional SI of one year in the event of default of payment of a Rs 5,000 fine, imposed by the NIA special court at Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), said NIA. With this, NIA has successfully secured the conviction of eight of the 15 accused arrested in the case till date. Ashok and Vikas were arrested in December 2019 from Mumbai (Maharashtra) and Karwar (Karnataka), respectively.

NIA had, in June 2020, chargesheeted 14 accused persons, and subsequently filed a supplementary charge sheet against one more accused in March 2021.

A total of 15 accused persons have been arrested, of whom eight have so far been convicted and sentenced in the case.

The trial against the other accused in the case is still in progress. NIA took over the case, relating to spying at vital installations and Indian Navy establishments by foreign spies/agents, from the counter-intelligence police station, Intelligence Department, Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh Police), in December 2019.