A “honey-trap” espionage racket involving Indian Navy personnel in Visakhapatnam, which came to light recently, has put online entrapment of defence personnel back in the spotlight. Andhra Pradesh’s Counter Intelligence Cell (CIC) has so far questioned 13 Navy personnel and identified 18 suspects in the case over the alleged sharing of maritime intelligence to Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs).
On Tuesday, the CIC announced the arrest of two people – an Indian Navy sailor Pradeep Mukherjee with the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam and Annam Sai Varaprasad, a contractual driver for the Navy. Investigators are examining whether sensitive details about naval assets and installations were passed on to the PIO.
Here is a look at similar cases from the past:
Operation Dolphin’s Nose
In December 2019, the Andhra Pradesh CIC busted a similar espionage racket in the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam, under “Operation Dolphin’s Nose”. Fifteen people, including seven Indian Navy sailors and a Mumbai-based hawala operator, were arrested on charges of having links with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence and spying for Pakistan after being lured by women into relationships online.
The sailors were recruited in early 2017 and a year later, contacted by “three to four women”, who lured them into online relationships, officials said. The women introduced them to a businessman, who happened to be a Pakistani handler. The sailors would receive money from a hawala operator for their services. The case is still under investigation and the accused are in prison, the officials said.
IAF officer arrested in 2026
In Delhi, a 44-year-old serving Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander was arrested in May this year for allegedly sharing sensitive defence information and classified documents with a PIO after being “honey-trapped” through social media.
Police said the officer was allegedly contacted by a woman suspected to be working for Pakistani intelligence. The IAF officer was booked under the relevant sections of the Official Secrets Act (OSA) after a case was registered at the special cell police station and taken in judicial custody in June.
More such cases reported last year
In March last year, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested two employees at ordnance factories in Firozabad and Kanpur, respectively, for allegedly sharing confidential information with Pakistan’s ISI, after being targeted through the same fake Facebook profile “Neha Sharma”. Investigators said the accused were contacted on Facebook and later WhatsApp, and were allegedly lured with money and blackmailed into sharing information.
In another case, the Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad arrested Ravi Vermaa – a 27-year-old engineer working for a private defence technology company contracted by the Indian Navy – for allegedly passing restricted documents relating to the naval dockyard to a PIO. Investigators said a woman initially contacted him through a fake social media profile and later communicated with him over WhatsApp. The alleged sharing of documents took place between November 2024 and March 2025.
DRDO scientist case
In 2023, a high-profile “honey-trap” espionage case came to light when the Maharashtra ATS arrested Pradeep Kurulkar, a scientist with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Kurulkar, then heading the DRDO’s Research and Development Establishment (Engineers) laboratory in Pune, was allegedly contacted by a woman who called herself “Zara Dasgupta”. Investigators said she was a Pakistani intelligence operative (PIO).
The ATS alleged Kurulkar exchanged WhatsApp messages, voice calls and video calls with the woman and shared sensitive defence-related information. Investigators also alleged he offered to show the woman a classified report relating to the BrahMos missile project. The ATS reportedly filed a chargesheet running into more than 1,000 pages.
Army soldier ‘honey-trapped’ in 2022
In July 2022, Rajasthan Police arrested army soldier Shantimoy Rana, accused of sharing classified information about his regiment and videos of military exercises with two PIOs. Police said the two women had contacted Rana through social media and WhatsApp, presenting themselves as being associated with the Military Engineering Service and Military Nursing Service. Investigators alleged Rana also received money for the information exchange.
Earlier that year, Delhi Police arrested IAF jawan Devendra Sharma – an administrative assistant at the Air Force Records Office in Subroto Park – over allegations that he was “honey-trapped” by a Pakistan-based woman and that he leaked sensitive information concerning defence installations and personnel. The Air Force had also initiated court-martial proceedings against him before handing him over to the police.
BrahMos engineer case
Another significant case dates back to 2018, when BrahMos Aerospace engineer Nishant Agarwal was arrested on allegations of spying for Pakistan. Investigators alleged he was “honey-trapped” through fake social media profiles and that sensitive BrahMos-related information was accessed through his computer. Agarwal was sentenced to life-imprisonment in 2024 by a Nagpur court.
In December 2025, the Bombay High Court set aside Agarwal’s life sentence, holding that the prosecution had failed to establish the transmission of sensitive data to Pakistani operatives. His conviction for negligence in handling classified material was retained, carrying a three-year sentence he already served.
