logo
Exclusive: How Navy HQ Clerk Recruited By Pak Spy 'Priya Sharma' Was Caught

Exclusive: How Navy HQ Clerk Recruited By Pak Spy 'Priya Sharma' Was Caught

NDTV26-06-2025
Jaipur:
It was a crypto currency trail that led intelligence agencies to upper division clerk Vikas Yadav in Nau Sena Bhavan, the naval wing of the Defence Ministry.
Mr Yadav was addicted to online gaming, sources said. A Pakistani woman identified as 'Priya Sharma' - clearly a fake name - befriended him on Facebook three years ago after seeing his addiction, and persuaded him into spying for Pakistan. Thereafter, she became her handler.
After that, he switched to communicating with her on WhatsApp and Telegram.
So, how exactly did intelligence operatives find out Mr Yadav, the upper division clerk in the Nau Sena Bhavan, was a spy?
The case goes back to another one linked to a spy, Ravi Prakash Meena, a Rajasthan resident who was arrested in 2022. Mr Meena was a Class 4 employee in the Defence Ministry's Sena Bhawan. Investigators found that Mr Meena received money through a cryptocurrency channel in return for providing sensitive information like maps to his Pakistani handler.
When intelligence agencies put Mr Meena's cryptocurrency channel under surveillance, they were led to two more people. One of them was Mr Yadav, the clerk in the Nau Sena Bhawan. They found that Mr Yadav had been getting money from the same cryptocurrency channel as Mr Meena.
Thereafter, intelligence operatives put Mr Yadav under surveillance for over two years before finally arresting him. A large sum of money was being transferred from this cryptocurrency channel to Mr Yadav, who in turn used the money to feed his online gaming addiction.
The intelligence agencies have got four-day custody of Mr Yadav. His mobile phone has been sent to a forensics laboratory.
The police suspect that Mr Yadav was scanning sensitive naval documents and sending them to his Pakistani handler, 'Priya Sharma'.
The method used by the Pakistani handlers is clear. They looked for clerical staff in the Defence Ministry and either lured them with honeytrap or offered money to give sensitive information.
Intelligence agencies also suspect Mr Yadav gave sensitive information during Operation Sindoor.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Five Key Revelations from Army's Deputy Chief on Operation Sindoor
Five Key Revelations from Army's Deputy Chief on Operation Sindoor

The Wire

time26 minutes ago

  • The Wire

Five Key Revelations from Army's Deputy Chief on Operation Sindoor

New Delhi: The statements made by Lieutenant General Rahul R. Singh, deputy chief of army staff (capability development and sustenance), at the FICCI 'New Age Military Technologies' event on Friday (July 4) make it clear that Operation Sindoor was not just a bilateral India-Pakistan conflict, but a complex multi-actor engagement involving sophisticated intelligence sharing, real-time battlefield support and coordinated military assistance. Here are the five most significant revelations made by Lieutenant General Singh about Operation Sindoor: 'One border, three adversaries' Lieutenant General Singh revealed that during Operation Sindoor, India faced not just Pakistan, but effectively three adversaries on one border. 'Pakistan was the front face. We had China providing all possible support … Turkey also played a very important role in providing the type of support that was there,' he stated. This exposed the collusive nature of threat faced by India, where it faces multiple state actors working in concert, even if as a proxy conflict. This fundamentally changes India's strategic calculus and defence planning, as it confirms the two-front collusive threat is not a theoretical construct for the Indian military but an operational reality. Pakistan had full real-time intelligence visibility into India The most shocking revelation made by Lieutenant General Singh was that Pakistan had full visibility into Indian military deployments, which was made evident during the director general of military operations (DGMO)-level talks. 'When the DGMO-level talks were going on, Pakistan actually was mentioning that 'we know that your such and such important vector is primed and ready for action. I would request you to perhaps pull it back'. So he was getting live inputs … from China,' he disclosed. This represents a huge vulnerability and demonstrates China's direct involvement in providing strategic military intelligence against India, fundamentally altering the nature of the conflict. Indigenous equipment performance issues Lieutenant General Singh acknowledged that while some indigenous systems performed well during Operation Sindoor, others revealed critical gaps. He also highlighted supply chain vulnerabilities, noting that equipment scheduled for delivery by January or October-November was not available during the operation. Providing a specific example on the requirement of drones and his meeting with Indian drone manufacturers, he said he had asked these manufacturers in April how many of them would be able to 'provide the equipment that you're supposed to in the stipulated time'. 'A lot of hands went up. But when again I called them after one week, nothing came by. The reason is because our supply chains–we are still dependent on a lot of things from outside,' the officer continued. He added that 'had all [that] equipment been made available, the story may have been a little different, right'. This issue adversely affects India's defence preparedness and highlights the urgent need for robust indigenous defence manufacturing with reliable supply chains. Pakistan as China's 'live laboratory' for testing weapons The lieutenant general revealed that 81% of Pakistan's military hardware acquired in the last five years is from China. He described the situation as China using Pakistan as a 'live lab' to test its weapons against various other weapon systems. 'China perhaps has seen that he's able to test his weapons against, say, various other weapons systems that are there. It's like a live lab which is available to them,' he stated. This indicates that any conflict with Pakistan is also a test ground for Chinese military technology, which allows them to improve and upgrade their product for the next conflict. These upgrades will be available to Pakistan, which will be better prepared for the future. Turkey's direct military support to Pakistan with drones He also disclosed that Turkey provided substantial support to Pakistan, including Bayraktar drones and trained personnel. 'Turkey also played a very important role in providing the type of support that was there. Bayraktar, of course, he's been giving from before. We saw numerous other drones also coming in, landing in the face of war, during the war, along with trained sort of individuals who were there,' he revealed. This brings out Turkey's active role in supporting Pakistan against India, indicating a broader geopolitical alignment that extends beyond traditional Pakistan-China cooperation. Lieutenant General Singh's revelations are the first public official acknowledgement of China's real-time support to Pakistan and of Turkey's direct involvement in Operation Sindoor. He candidly revealed Pakistan's unprecedented visibility into Indian deployments and acknowledged critical shortcomings in indigenous equipment and supply chains. These revelations collectively underscore the immediate strategic challenges for India's defence posture. The multi-front threat reality and intelligence compromise are the most critical concerns requiring immediate attention and strategic response.

Op Sindoor shows our force's commitment to Swaraj: Shah
Op Sindoor shows our force's commitment to Swaraj: Shah

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

Op Sindoor shows our force's commitment to Swaraj: Shah

Pune: Union home minister on Friday said was an example of how the Indian armed forces and leadership were committed to defending the of India, established by and expanded by Peshwa Bajirao-I. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Shah was at the National Defence Academy (NDA), where he unveiled the equestrian statue of Peshwa Bajirao-I. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and both the deputy chief ministers, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, along with other dignitaries, were present at the event. Shah participated in an interactive session with the NDA cadets after the statue unveiling ceremony. Remembering Peshwa Bajirao-I on the occasion, Shah said, "Bajirao fought 41 wars in his life and remained undefeated. The young cadets of the NDA will derive a lot of inspiration by studying his warfare skills. The bravery and sacrifice shown by Bajirao will continue to inspire soldiers in the forces though warfare has changed over the centuries." The Union home minister said he himself got a lot of inspiration from iconic personalities like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Peshwa Bajirao-I. He said, "Whenever I am surrounded by negative thoughts, I remember the valour of young Shivaji Maharaj and Peshwa Bajirao. Shivaji Maharaj established Swaraj, and continuing with his legacy, Peshwa Bajirao expanded Swaraj in the length and breadth of undivided India despite the hostile conditions around them." He said, "The responsibility to defend the hard-earned Swaraj lies with the 140 crore Indians. Icons like Shivaji Maharaj and Peshwa Bajirao fought hard to establish Swaraj, and when it is required to defend it, our forces and leadership will demonstrate valour. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Operation Sindoor was one of the finest examples." Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said, "Britishers, and even some Indians, tried to omit some historical events after the Mughal era. As a result, some generations could not get to know about some of the greatest warriors of the country. Our Prime Minister took efforts and made sure that the history of these great warriors reached the present generation."

FIR after fake FB page of pvt univ floated
FIR after fake FB page of pvt univ floated

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

FIR after fake FB page of pvt univ floated

Lucknow: A case of cyber fraud was registered after a fake Facebook page was found operating in the name of Babu Banarasi Das (BBD) University, Lucknow. The page was allegedly being used to dupe students in the name of admissions. Lodging a complaint, senior security officer of BBD University Vijay Kumar Singh Bhadoriya said that several people recently reported being cheated on pretext of university admissions. It was found that a fraudster created a fake Facebook page impersonating the university's official admission office. The page was reportedly used to lure students with false promises related to university admissions. An FIR was lodged under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act. Inspector Ram Singh said further investigations were on. Police have advised the people to verify any admission-related communication through the official channels.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store