NIA files chargesheet against 2 including Pak national in espionage case

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday filed a chargesheet against two persons, including a suspected Pakistani national in an espionage case in which sensitive information pertaining to the Indian Navy was being leaked as part of an anti-India conspiracy, an official said.

Akash Solanki, and an absconding Pakistani individual, Meer Balaj Khan were named in the chargesheet by the NIA along with other Pakistan Intelligence agents.

An official said that they were involved in an espionage racket in which sensitive information pertaining to the Indian Navy was being leaked as part of an anti-India conspiracy.

Both Solanki and Khan were named in the chargesheet under relevant sections of the IPC and UA (P) Act at the NIA Special Court in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.

"Solanki, who was working as an Electrical Artificer Radio Apprentice (EAC) at the Naval Dockyard, Vishakhapatnam, was passing on classified information relating to the Indian Navy warships and submarines. He was sharing the information with a suspected Pakistani intelligence operative, operating under the assumed identity of 'Aditi Chouhan', as well as other unidentified individuals," said the NIA.

The NIA investigation revealed that Solanki had been receiving monetary compensation from another suspected Pakistani operative, Meer Balaj Khan, through crypto channels in exchange for information.

Khan's credentials obtained from Binance (a leading cryptocurrency exchange) disclosed a Pakistan ID card during the investigation.

The case was initially registered at a police station in Vijayawada.

Later, the probe into the matter was taken over by the NIA in June 2023.