Engineer Arrested For Passing Sensitive Information to Pakistan-based Female Operatives After Being Honey Trapped

In a major revelation, an engineer working for a defence firm in Maharashtra has been arrested for allegedly passing sensitive information to Pakistan-based operatives.

The accused, Ravi Verma, was reportedly honeytrapped, and critical information was extracted from him.

Verma is said to have shared classified details about 14 different warships and submarines with the Pakistani agents.

An investigation is currently underway to uncover further details in the case.

Preliminary findings have identified the female agents involved in the honeytrap operation as Payal Sharma and Isprit.

According to the Maharashtra ATS, one of the women expressed curiosity about warships, claiming she wanted to understand their appearance and other technical details.

Payal Sharma reportedly told Verma that she was working on a project related to warships and submarines and requested his assistance.

Through manipulation and deceit, she managed to extract classified information from him.

As mobile phones are not permitted inside the naval dockyard, Verma would memorize defect lists and other technical details of the warships and submarines he worked on. After leaving the premises, he would record the information on his mobile phone or send it as a voice note to the agent via WhatsApp.

While the honeytrapping of military or defense personnel by Pakistani agents is not new, this case presents a fresh twist amid ongoing India-Pakistan military tensions following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives, and India’s subsequent retaliation through Operation Sindoor.

What is Honey Trapping?

Honey trapping is a common method of espionage used in intelligence operations to lure targets by exploiting their trust and vulnerabilities in order to extract valuable information.

Recently, attempts to honeytrap officials have become increasingly common, as this method appears to be one of the easiest ways to extract sensitive military information.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Defence, service personnel and their families are regularly sensitized on the use of honey traps as a tactic employed by foreign intelligence operatives.

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