Inside Visakhapatnam spying case: Pakistani women operatives lured, blackmailed naval personnel, probe finds

In Visakhapatnam, Pakistani women operatives allegedly lured and blackmailed naval personnel to gather information about the movement of vessels and submarines. Six months ago, a woman operative posed as a shipping firm employee and began chatting with Annam Sai Varaprasad, a civilian hired to drive naval officers' vehicles. Initially, the conversation focused on Varaprasad's personal life, but she eventually asked about his work, salary, and vehicle.

After sharing sexually explicit content and promising to visit Visakhapatnam, she allegedly extracted information about the officials he drove. The platform shifted to WhatsApp, where Varaprasad was blackmailed to provide information about naval assets and personnel. Despite having limited security clearance, he was arrested on October 6 after being monitored for over a month.

Investigators are also examining his phone for potential cryptocurrency payments. Another civilian, Pradeep Mukherjee, was trapped by a Pakistan-based intelligence operative posing as a medical professional. Threatened with arrest, he shared sensitive information about the Vizag and Coimbatore training facilities. In response, the Andhra Pradesh Counter-Intelligence Cell registered a case against Varaprasad and Mukherjee on September 2 and conducted a raid on October 1, arresting 18 individuals, including 13 naval personnel.

The authorities are investigating the remaining 16 suspects to determine their level of involvement.