Andhra Pradesh police have arrested two additional suspects in an espionage case involving Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs), who allegedly activated WhatsApp accounts using OTPs associated with Indian SIM cards.
The accused were identified as Raja Kumar, a point-of-sale (POS) agent, and Aditya Kumar alias Aditya Kumar Pandey, both hailing from Raxaul in Bihar.
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According to an official statement issued on Wednesday, both arrested individuals are from Bihar. Their arrests were made during the second phase of Operation Firewall-2026, which was launched on October 25.
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"The Andhra Pradesh Counter Intelligence Cell (AP CI Cell) has apprehended two more persons in Bihar in connection with an espionage network involving Pakistani intelligence operatives, who allegedly used OTPs linked to Indian SIM cards to activate WhatsApp accounts," the police statement said.
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The two accused were presented before the jurisdictional court in Vijayawada on Wednesday and remanded to judicial custody until November 10, the statement said.
The investigation found that Raja Kumar allegedly helped activate WhatsApp accounts associated with multiple Indian mobile numbers by sharing their one-time passwords (OTPs) with Pakistani intelligence operatives through intermediaries based in Nepal.
He also allegedly opened a mobile payments bank account in another person's name to collect payments for SIM-card OTPs, with a significant sum reportedly deposited into the account, the statement said.
A Pakistani intelligence operative, allegedly using the aliases “Soni” and “Soni Queen”, is accused of obtaining classified information about warships and submarines under the Eastern Naval Command through Annam Sai Vara Prasad, a civilian contract driver working with naval officials in Visakhapatnam.
Police said another operative, identified as “Joshita Pall,” allegedly tried to obtain classified information from personnel in Visakhapatnam by offering them money in exchange for the information.
According to the release, Aditya Kumar allegedly worked with Raja Kumar and others in Raxaul, along with Pakistani agents identified as Wasim, Sultan and Nayeem. He is accused of facilitating WhatsApp account activation through OTPs sent to Indian SIM cards and communicating with the Pakistani agents via encrypted platforms.
The AP CI Cell filed a case on September 2 under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Official Secrets Act, 1923, following inputs about suspected espionage targeting naval and defence establishments.
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As part of the probe, police arrested Annam Sai Vara Prasad in Visakhapatnam on October 1, followed by Pradip Mukharjee, an employee at the Visakhapatnam Naval Base, in Coimbatore on October 3. Both accused are currently being held at Vijayawada District Jail.
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