The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday filed a chargesheet against another key individual in the Visakhapatnam espionage case involving leakage of classified defence information through a Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spying network.
Amaan Salim Shaikh, a resident of Mumbai, Maharashtra, has been formally charged in the NIA Special Court, Visakhapatnam, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act [UA(P) Act].
Shaikh is a key accused in the case, involving a conspiracy by Pakistani agents to honey trap Indian Navy personnel to extract sensitive information regarding India’s defense establishments. Shaikh is alleged to have played a significant role in this conspiracy, working under the direction of a suspected Pakistani agent named Usman.
According to the NIA’s investigation, Shaikh was also receiving funds from other suspected Pakistani operatives, including Meer Balaj Khan and Alven, as well as from several other individuals, through cryptocurrency channels. These funds were reportedly used to carry out tasks assigned by the Pakistani intelligence operatives.
The NIA took over the investigation from the Counter Intelligence Cell, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, on June 5, 2023.
On November 6, 2023, the NIA had chargesheeted two other individuals in connection with this case.
Further Investigations in the case are underway.
