Price of honesty: Honey-trapped by ‘Priya’, Navy staffer leaked secrets to Pakistan for less than $600

An Indian Navy clerk who was stationed at the naval headquarters in Delhi has been taken into custody in Jaipur on charges of leaking a series of defence secrets to a Pakistani handler, including information on Operation Sindoor, in exchange for $600 (₹50,000). "Yadav admitted that he was paid around ₹2 lakh in total for the information he shared. This also included ₹50,000 for leaking information regarding Operation Sindoor," the inspector general of police (CID-security) Vishnu Kant Gupta said, adding some of the payments were made via cryptocurrency.

Citing intelligence sources, PTI also reported that the trail of espionage started on Facebook, where the Pakistani handler with the pseudonym "Priya Sharma" sent a friend request to Yadav. Their exchange soon became regular and subsequently moved to WhatsApp, before finally switching to Telegram, a messaging application known for its encryption. Police said that Yadav initially got paid in small amounts, between ₹5,000 and ₹6,000, for lower-grade information. But as the handler coerced him to supply more sensitive material, he started sending classified defence information for higher payments.

“He was lured by money and ended up leaking sensitive information from the Navy headquarters,” Gupta said. “After monitoring his social media activity and confirming his links with a Pakistani handler, he was detained in Jaipur for joint interrogation involving multiple national agencies,” the IGP added.

Who is Vishal Yadav?

Yadav, as per reports, is a resident of the North Indian state of Haryana and was employed as a clerk at the Delhi-based naval headquarters. He stands accused of spying on India and passing on sensitive information about the Indian naval forces and other defence units to a female handler in Pakistan, in exchange for money. He is believed to have done this for years, including the recent Operation Sindoor, which followed the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam in April.

He was arrested following surveillance. Data recovered from his cellphone reportedly includes classified military documents and communications, which were shared with a foreign agent. Citing senior police officer Vishnukant Gupta, NDTV reported that the CID intelligence united has been closely keeping a track on espionage activities linked to Pakistani agencies.

Officials during surveillance found that Yadav was in regular contact with a Pakistani handler posing as 'Priya Sharma' on social media. She allegedly transferred payments in exchange for restricted defence-related intelligence. Investigators found that the spy, Yadav, had an online gambling addiction and had been motivated by financial desperation, primarily driven by gambling losses.