Indian Navy staffer arrested for allegedly leaking "Op Sindoor" information to Pakistani handler

An Upper Division Clerk (UDC) with the Indian Navy, Vishal Yadav, has been arrested for allegedly leaking sensitive defense-related information, including details about India's "Operation Sindoor," to a Pakistani intelligence handler. Police have revealed that Yadav, posted at the Navy headquarters in Delhi, communicated with the handler primarily through Telegram and received payments, some in cryptocurrency, for the classified information. His arrest in Jaipur on Wednesday follows an investigation into his contact with a Pakistani operative who initially befriended him on Facebook under the fake identity "Priya Sharma."

According to the police, Yadav, who hails from Haryana's Rewari district, confessed to receiving approximately ₹2 lakh in total for the information he passed on. This amount included ₹50,000 specifically for leaking details concerning "Operation Sindoor," an offensive carried out by the Indian Armed Forces in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. The probe indicates that communication transitioned from Facebook to WhatsApp and then to Telegram, a messaging platform known for its encryption features.

Inspector General of Police (CID-Security) Vishnu Kant Gupta stated that Yadav initially received smaller sums, around ₹5,000-₹6,000, for less critical information. However, as the handler pressed for more valuable intelligence, Yadav began sharing sensitive defense data for higher compensation, with some transactions made in cryptocurrency. Authorities suspect that Yadav's addiction to online gaming may have made him vulnerable to financial exploitation, leading to the breach.

Forensic examination of Yadav's mobile phone has uncovered extensive evidence, including financial transactions, sensitive messages, and confidential defense data, confirming his alleged involvement. Yadav is currently undergoing joint interrogation by multiple intelligence agencies at the Central Interrogation Center in Jaipur, as authorities work to ascertain the full extent of the security breach and identify any other individuals linked to the espionage network.