NIA special court sentences 2 more accused in Visakhapatnam navy espionage case

New Delhi, October 17 (IANS). A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court has convicted two more accused in the Visakhapatnam naval espionage case, taking the total convictions so far to four. The special court in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, sentenced Mumbai resident Mohammad Haroon Haji Abdul Rahman Lakdawala to five-and-a-half years imprisonment under Sections 17 and 18 of the UA(P) Act. Imran Yakub Giteli, resident of Godhra, Gujarat, was also sentenced to 6 years of simple imprisonment for the same crimes. A fine of Rs 5000 each was imposed on the accused and in case of non-payment of the fine, they will have to undergo additional simple imprisonment of one year. The case pertains to espionage activities carried out on essential installations and Indian naval establishments by foreign spy agents operating in the country. The NIA arrested Lakdawala in May 2020 and Giteli in September 2020. They were captured from their respective home states. Both the accused were agents of foreign intelligence agencies and were involved in espionage activities in India, which threatened the unity, integrity, security and sovereignty of the country. These people were regularly in contact with Pakistani spy agents through WhatsApp. Both had relatives in Pakistan and came into contact with Pakistani intelligence agencies during their visits to the neighboring country. Investigation revealed that they were involved in illegal clothing and various other businesses with Pakistan through illegal channels. The accused deposited various amounts into the accounts of the accused naval personnel through online money transfer points of sale (POS) and other banking channels from Mumbai and Godhra at the behest of Pakistani agents. The NIA, which took over the investigation from the Counter-Intelligence Police Station, Intelligence Branch, Andhra Pradesh Police, Vijayawada in December 2019, arrested a total of 15 accused, including 11 naval personnel, during the investigation. In June 2020, the agency filed a charge-sheet against 14 accused, followed by a supplementary charge-sheet against 1 accused in March 2021. –IANS DKP/ Share this story Tags