Indian Navy sailor arrested in Coimbatore for allegedly leaking defence information to Pakistani operative

A 31-year-old Indian Navy sailor was arrested in Coimbatore for allegedly sharing sensitive defence information with a woman suspected of being linked to Pakistani intelligence, after she reportedly lured him through a social media honeytrap, officials said.

The sailor, identified as Pradeep Mukherjee from West Bengal, was arrested on Saturday by the Counter Intelligence Cell of the Andhra Pradesh Police while attending a management development course at INS Agrani, a naval training establishment in Coimbatore.

Mukherjee joined the Indian Navy in 2014 and was serving under the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam. He had arrived at INS Agrani about a week before his arrest to attend the training programme.

According to officials, Mukherjee allegedly came into contact with the woman through social media several months ago. Investigators suspect that she gradually developed a relationship with him before obtaining sensitive information linked to the Visakhapatnam naval base.

The information allegedly shared included details about naval assets, fleet movements and operational arrangements.

The Andhra Pradesh Police's Counter Intelligence Cell reportedly began monitoring Mukherjee after detecting suspicious digital activity. Investigators subsequently obtained clearance from naval authorities to arrest him.

A specialised team took him into custody at INS Agrani on Saturday morning. He was later produced before a local magistrate, who granted a transit warrant, allowing investigators to take him to the Counter Intelligence headquarters in Vijayawada for further questioning.

Investigators are examining the nature and extent of the information allegedly disclosed and whether the disclosures compromised sensitive naval operations. They are also probing whether Mukherjee received money in exchange for the information, including through digital transfers or suspected hawala channels.

Further investigation is underway to establish the extent of the alleged information leak and determine whether others were involved.