The National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court in Vishakhapatnam has sentenced Altafhusen Ghanchibhai @ Shakil, a key accused in a Pakistan-led espionage conspiracy, to simple imprisonment for five years and six months. Shakil pleaded guilty during the trial, which included testimony from 37 witnesses. The court convicted him for misusing mobile SIM cards and social media, imposing fines under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Information Technology Act, with sentences running concurrently to a maximum of 5.5 years.
This case (RC-03/2021/NIA/HYD) centers on the exploitation of Indian SIM cards belonging to fishermen captured by the Pakistan Navy. The accused activated these SIM cards in India to support espionage efforts. Evidence showed that he generated One-Time Passwords (OTPs) linked to these SIM cards and communicated them to Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs). Consequently, PIOs used these compromised Indian numbers to impersonate individuals and contact personnel within India’s defense establishment, aiming to extract sensitive military information, thus posing a threat to India’s unity and security.
The NIA’s ongoing investigations are focused on combating cyber-enabled and other forms of cross-border terror and espionage, with an emphasis on prosecuting offenders involved in such activities.
