NIA takes two into custody in Karnataka over supplying naval base photographs to foreign spies

Karwar: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) sleuths on Tuesday took two youth into their custody on charges of supplying Kadamba Naval Base photographs to foreign spies.

Vetan Tandel of Mudaga in Karwar taluk, and Akshay Naik of Ankola, who were both outsourced workers at the naval base, are taken into custody by the NIA, sources said.

NIA officials in two separate teams conducted raids in early morning, and took them into custody simultaneously at Mudaga and Ankola respectively.

In the wake of the case of the naval base photographs sent to foreign spies of Pakistan in 2023, NIA Hyderabad unit had interrogated some officials and staff of the naval base earlier. Continuing the investigation, they now took two outsourced workers to their custody, sources said.

On August 8 last year, NIA had questioned three persons including the accused and had issued notices. A team of six officials on Monday again collected information at Karwar town police station for several hours.

At present Vetan and Akshay are being interrogated at Karwar and Ankola police stations respectively, according to sources.

Spies, who had introduced themselves as girls on social media to the youth, had allegedly collected the photographs of the naval base, and had paid money also in return. Investigation is going on into this case, sources added.