Overview
- A multi-team operation called Operation Firewall–2026 deployed 12 counterintelligence teams across 10 states to probe an 18-person network and identified 13 naval personnel among the suspects, with two people arrested and remanded until October 14.
- Authorities say the module used fake social‑media profiles to honey‑trap targets, moved conversations to WhatsApp accounts activated by shared OTPs, and transmitted sensitive field intelligence about naval assets through encrypted channels.
- The two arrested suspects include a civilian contract driver accused of sharing classified naval information for money and a Navy employee accused of providing an OTP to activate a WhatsApp account and communicating with Pakistan‑based operatives.
- A case registered in Vijayawada in early September cites the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Official Secrets Act, and seized phones, CCTV and data have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for recovery and analysis.
- Visakhapatnam’s Eastern Naval Command is the apparent focus because of its ships, submarines and shipbuilding facilities, and investigators say the pattern echoes earlier ENC probes such as Operation Dolphin’s Nose, which targeted similar tradecraft and recruitment methods.