A Navy staffer posted at Naval Headquarters in Delhi has been arrested in Jaipur for allegedly spying for Pakistan and leaking sensitive defence information. The accused, identified as Vishal Yadav, was working as an Upper Division Clerk (UDC) in the Directorate of Dockyard at the Navy building. Authorities claim Yadav shared classified information, including details about Operation Sindoor, a recent Indian Armed Forces mission in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, carried out in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
According to Inspector General of Police (CID-Security) Vishnu Kant Gupta, the espionage began after Yadav was approached on Facebook by a woman using the alias “Priya Sharma,” who posed as an Indian national but was in fact a Pakistani intelligence operative. The two began interacting across various platforms—Facebook, WhatsApp, and later Telegram—where they exchanged messages. Initially, Yadav was paid small sums of ₹5,000–₹6,000 for minor information, but he was later enticed with higher payments in exchange for more sensitive data related to naval operations and national security.
Motivated by financial gain, Yadav allegedly leaked highly classified information and received a total of around ₹2 lakh for his involvement. Investigators suspect his vulnerability stemmed from a possible addiction to online gaming, which may have made him an easy target for manipulation. “He was lured by money and ended up leaking sensitive information from Navy headquarters,” IG Gupta told PTI. The case highlights the growing threat of cyber-enabled espionage and the use of social engineering tactics by foreign intelligence networks.
