How did a Pakistan-linked spy network target Navy’s Eastern Command, and how was it cracked? | Explained
Indian security agencies have dismantled a Pakistan-linked espionage network targeting the Eastern Naval Command. The operation, codenamed 'Firewall-2026', identified 18 suspects who used social media honey-traps to extract sensitive defense information.
Why it matters
The breach highlights significant national security vulnerabilities regarding the digital exploitation of military personnel by foreign intelligence operatives.
A team of officers and personnel from Andhra Pradesh’s Counter Intelligence Cell (CIC), working with Naval Intelligence and Anti-Terrorist Squads (ATS) across 10 States, has busted a major Pakistan-sponsored espionage network allegedly focused on gathering field intelligence on the Indian Navy, with the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) as a particular target . The investigation and subsequent crackdown were carried out under the code name Operation Firewall-2026.
The operation led to the identification of 18 key suspects, including 13 naval personnel spread across 10 States — Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Chhattisgarh.
Two people have so far been arrested: Pradeep Mukherjee , an ENC-posted sailor who was arrested on October 3 while undergoing training at INS Agrani in Coimbatore, and Annam Sai Vara Prasad, a civilian contract driver engaged for naval officers at the Visakhapatnam naval base.
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