KARWAR: National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two individuals from Uttara Kannada district for allegedly leaking sensitive information about Karwar naval base to Pakistan in an alleged case of honey-trapping, sources said Tuesday.
An NIA team from Hyderabad took the accused – Vetana Tandel from Muduga village and Akshay Naik from Halavalli – into custody on Tuesday.
Investigators suspect the accused were trapped by Pakistani intelligence agencies through honey-traps. A woman agent allegedly befriended them on Facebook in 2023 and coaxed them into providing classified details about activities in the naval area, details of warships, their arrival and departure, and security information.
In Aug 2024, NIA had questioned three individuals – Tandel, Naik and Sunil, from Todur – regarding the suspected espionage. While they were initially released, the agency continued to track their activities.
The accused reportedly shared photographs of the Karwar base and details of naval movements in exchange for money, said to be a monthly payout of Rs 5,000 for eight months. The espionage ring was exposed following the 2023 arrest of Deepak and others in Hyderabad by NIA. Authorities have traced financial transactions linking the accused to the espionage network. Tandel and Naik were employed on contract with Iron and Mercury, a company in Chandya region of Karwar. Sunil, a former contract worker at Seabird naval base canteen, is now a driver.
NIA is interrogating the arrested individuals and has sought information on their activities. Officials are in discussions with Sea Bird officers. More arrests are likely as authorities suspect a wider network in the case. INS Kadamba – also known as Naval Base Karwar or Project Seabird – is a crucial Indian Navy base in Karnataka. It is the third largest naval base in India and set to become the largest in the eastern hemisphere after ongoing expansion.