Gujarat-connection in Mazagon dock official leaking info to Pakistani agent
Updated: Mar 18th, 2024
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| Kalpesh Baikar (img: Facebook) |
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) made an arrest on Mar 9 of a 30-year-old man working as a structural fabricator at the Mazagon Dockyard in Mumbai for allegedly leaking information about the country’s restricted areas to a Pakistani intelligence operative (PIO).
The ATS investigation revealed that the accused, Kalpesh Baikar, was befriended by a female Pakistani agent posing as someone named Sonali on social media. She used the SIM card of a Gujarat-based fisherman who was previously held in Pakistan’s captivity.
Pakistan nabbed the fisherman in 2016 for allegedly entering their maritime border and held him captive for three and a half years. The authorities kept his SIM card and mobile phone in their custody, which are purported to have been misused in this racket.
Mazagon Docks’ official nabbed
Baikar, an Alibaug native, had been in touch with the Pakistani spy since November 2021. He shared sensitive information about Indian warships, submarines, and other war materials with her through Facebook and WhatsApp chats.
The ATS has registered a case against Kalpesh and the PIO under the Official Secrets Act and is conducting further investigations.
In 2019, the Indian Navy busted a major espionage racket in which seven young sailors from the Navy’s Visakhapatnam, Karwar, and Mumbai bases were arrested. They were trapped by fake Facebook accounts created by Pakistani agents.
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