The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two individuals from Uttara Kannada district for allegedly leaking sensitive information about the Karwar naval base to Pakistan in what is suspected to be a case of honey-trapping. Officials confirmed the arrests on Tuesday.
An NIA team from Hyderabad took Vetana Tandel, a resident of Muduga village, and Akshay Naik, from Halavalli, into custody. Investigators believe that both men were targeted by Pakistani intelligence agencies through a honey-trap operation. A female agent is thought to have befriended them on Facebook. Gradually, she persuaded them into revealing sensitive information about Indian Navy operations, ship movements, and the security arrangements at the Karwar naval base.
This is linked with the 2023 espionage case in Hyderabad, which recently led to the arrest of Deepak and others. After these arrests, an NIA probe into financial transactions established links between Tandel and Naik with the espionage network, which allegedly paid both suspects a monthly fee of ₹5,000 for a period of eight months for leaking secret naval details.
NIA had first interrogated Tandel, Naik, and one Sunil from Todur in August 2024 in connection with their alleged espionage activities. They were released after questioning but were under continued watch by the agency. After the NIA had procured substantial evidence, Tandel and Naik were arrested while Sunil was still being observed.
Both arrested individuals worked on contract with Iron and Mercury, a company based in the Chandya region of Karwar. Sunil, who is currently a driver, was previously employed as a contract worker at the Seabird naval base canteen.
Authorities are now interrogating the suspects to uncover the full extent of the espionage ring. The NIA is also collaborating closely with officials of INS Kadamba (Project Seabird) and is looking into possible accomplices. This may lead to more arrests because investigators suspect the existence of a wider network compromising the naval security of India.
INS Kadamba, also called Karwar Naval Base, is the third-largest naval base in India and nowadays is being expanded so as to become the largest in the eastern hemisphere. Due to its strategic importance, security agencies are extremely vigilant for any further breaches.
