A junior defence contractor has been arrested for leaking restricted information on Indian Navy warships and submarines to suspected Pakistani intelligence agents. Maharashtra’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) revealed that 27-year-old Ravindra Muralidhar Verma shared operational details of 14 naval vessels, compromising national security. Five of those details were confirmed to be accurate and classified, according to the Indian Navy’s verification.
Verma was arrested on Wednesday by the Thane unit of the ATS. He had been working with Krasni Defence Technology Pvt. Ltd., a Mumbai-based firm that handles repairs for key defence establishments including the Naval Dockyard, Mazagon Dock, and the Indian Coast Guard. His role in the firm’s electrical department gave him access to restricted naval sites across Maharashtra.
Recruited through romance: Online honeytrap uncovered
Investigators say Verma was drawn into the espionage ring after receiving friend requests on Facebook in 2024 from accounts named "Payal Sharma" and "Ishpreet". These profiles, operated by suspected Pakistani agents, initiated contact by claiming to be Indian women involved in naval research. Within weeks, the conversations became personal. One of the women, using the alias “Priti Jaiswal”, later moved the communication to WhatsApp.
Verma allegedly began sharing information in return for emotional validation and money. A senior ATS officer said, “He was very much aware of what he was doing and to whom he was passing on the sensitive information. He was getting money in exchange for providing the information.”
Diagrams, audio notes, and A diary of secrets
Despite strict protocols barring phones inside naval sites, Verma found ways around the rules. Police said he memorised details while working and recreated them later as sketches, diagrams, or audio messages which were then sent to his foreign handlers via WhatsApp and social media. One audio message dated 11 March 2025, retrieved from his phone, had Verma reporting:
"Sir kuch reply nahi de rahe, unka net shayd se band hai. Uno ye aaj ka update de dena. Aaj mein roundup pe gaya tha. So sari sari ship dekhi hai? Vo sari meine diary mein karke tumko kiya ki hai, Aur sir ko bhi kiya hai, par wo online nahi hai."
He confirmed to his handler that he had inspected ships that day, logged the details in his diary, and forwarded them both to the handler and a person referred to only as “Sir”.
The next day, 12 March, Verma photographed a notebook page listing the names and locations of 14 naval warships. This image was later found in a folder on his phone and was allegedly sent to his foreign handler. Naval authorities have confirmed that at least five of the ships listed were real and their positions classified as restricted information.
Romantic trap or deliberate betrayal?
The ATS said Verma had been communicating with multiple handlers disguised as “college friends” of Priti and Ishpreet. Forensic analysis retrieved messages, diagrams, videos, and audio files sent over months of interaction. The chats had been deliberately archived by Verma, possibly to avoid detection.
His mother, Rekha, has insisted her son was manipulated and emotionally exploited. “Yes, Ravi spoke to someone on Facebook, but the woman trapped my son,” she said. “He is my only support.” She claimed he had told her about “bad women” online and expressed a desire to delete his Facebook account.
A case has been registered against Verma, “Priti Jaiswal”, and the unnamed “Sir” under the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. Investigators are also looking into whether Verma was blackmailed or financially coerced after initial contact.
Police sources said Verma had received funds from multiple accounts, both Indian and foreign. The ATS is verifying these transactions and tracking whether others in the company’s network might have been similarly compromised.
Verma has been remanded to ATS custody until Monday. Authorities are continuing to analyse data from his devices and social media accounts to map the extent of the leak and trace the identities of the operatives involved. The ATS has not ruled out the involvement of a broader spy ring.
Verma was arrested on Wednesday by the Thane unit of the ATS. He had been working with Krasni Defence Technology Pvt. Ltd., a Mumbai-based firm that handles repairs for key defence establishments including the Naval Dockyard, Mazagon Dock, and the Indian Coast Guard. His role in the firm’s electrical department gave him access to restricted naval sites across Maharashtra.
Recruited through romance: Online honeytrap uncovered
Investigators say Verma was drawn into the espionage ring after receiving friend requests on Facebook in 2024 from accounts named "Payal Sharma" and "Ishpreet". These profiles, operated by suspected Pakistani agents, initiated contact by claiming to be Indian women involved in naval research. Within weeks, the conversations became personal. One of the women, using the alias “Priti Jaiswal”, later moved the communication to WhatsApp.
Verma allegedly began sharing information in return for emotional validation and money. A senior ATS officer said, “He was very much aware of what he was doing and to whom he was passing on the sensitive information. He was getting money in exchange for providing the information.”
Diagrams, audio notes, and A diary of secrets
Despite strict protocols barring phones inside naval sites, Verma found ways around the rules. Police said he memorised details while working and recreated them later as sketches, diagrams, or audio messages which were then sent to his foreign handlers via WhatsApp and social media. One audio message dated 11 March 2025, retrieved from his phone, had Verma reporting:
"Sir kuch reply nahi de rahe, unka net shayd se band hai. Uno ye aaj ka update de dena. Aaj mein roundup pe gaya tha. So sari sari ship dekhi hai? Vo sari meine diary mein karke tumko kiya ki hai, Aur sir ko bhi kiya hai, par wo online nahi hai."
He confirmed to his handler that he had inspected ships that day, logged the details in his diary, and forwarded them both to the handler and a person referred to only as “Sir”.
The next day, 12 March, Verma photographed a notebook page listing the names and locations of 14 naval warships. This image was later found in a folder on his phone and was allegedly sent to his foreign handler. Naval authorities have confirmed that at least five of the ships listed were real and their positions classified as restricted information.
Romantic trap or deliberate betrayal?
The ATS said Verma had been communicating with multiple handlers disguised as “college friends” of Priti and Ishpreet. Forensic analysis retrieved messages, diagrams, videos, and audio files sent over months of interaction. The chats had been deliberately archived by Verma, possibly to avoid detection.
His mother, Rekha, has insisted her son was manipulated and emotionally exploited. “Yes, Ravi spoke to someone on Facebook, but the woman trapped my son,” she said. “He is my only support.” She claimed he had told her about “bad women” online and expressed a desire to delete his Facebook account.
A case has been registered against Verma, “Priti Jaiswal”, and the unnamed “Sir” under the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. Investigators are also looking into whether Verma was blackmailed or financially coerced after initial contact.
Police sources said Verma had received funds from multiple accounts, both Indian and foreign. The ATS is verifying these transactions and tracking whether others in the company’s network might have been similarly compromised.
Verma has been remanded to ATS custody until Monday. Authorities are continuing to analyse data from his devices and social media accounts to map the extent of the leak and trace the identities of the operatives involved. The ATS has not ruled out the involvement of a broader spy ring.
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