Thane: Maharashtra ATS sources say operation wasn’t one-off incident; claim investigation is on right track while broader network is being identified.marking a new chapter in an ongoing investigation into an espionage case involving Pakistan Intelligence Operatives (PIOs) and digital honey traps.
Ravi Muralidhar Verma, who is accused of leaking sensitive military information. Pic/By Special Arrangement ; (right) Rekha, the mother of the Thane-based junior engineer
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Thursday produced 27-year-old Thane-based junior engineer Ravi Muralidhar Verma before the Thane district court, marking a new chapter in an ongoing investigation into an espionage case involving Pakistan Intelligence Operatives (PIOs) and digital honey traps.
To honey-trap Verma, the PIO had used multiple Indian SIM cards, registered allegedly under a bogus identity, at Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.
Verma, who was employed with a private firm linked to critical naval repair work in Mumbai, is accused of leaking sensitive military information to foreign handlers who manipulated him through emotional and romantic pretences on social media. Following the completion of his police custody, ATS officials requested an extension to continue their probe and examine new evidence.
However, the court denied their plea and remanded Verma to 14 days of judicial custody.
What initially seemed like a budding online romance has unravelled into a deep-rooted intelligence operation. Verma reportedly first came into contact with a woman named ‘Preeti Jaiswal’ through Facebook in late 2024. Their conversations quickly moved to WhatsApp, where affection blossomed and defence secrets allegedly began to leak.
However, during court proceedings, Verma’s defence lawyer, advocate Rupali Shinde, raised eyebrows by challenging the ATS’s version of events.
She highlighted ‘inconsistencies’ in the agency’s remand documents — particularly around the identity of the woman who contacted her client. “The ATS claims Verma was speaking with someone named Preeti Jaiswal, but our client insists it was a Jaspreet, reportedly based in Punjab,” Shinde told mid-day.
ATS officials, however, dismissed the confusion, explaining that ‘Preeti Jaiswal’ was merely an alias — a fabricated digital persona created by the PIO network to lure targets. ‘Sir,’ a foreign-based handler also involved in the operation, was similarly masked behind a pseudonym.
The investigators have since traced the operation to a network of mobile numbers, some registered in Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.
Multiple numbers
According to ATS sources, the woman posing as Preeti maintained consistent communication with Verma using a number from Uttar Pradesh, while five mobile numbers were employed to reinforce the illusion of multiple individuals involved in Verma’s romantic and emotional life.
These numbers, saved in Verma’s phone under names like ‘Preeti Friend’, ‘Jaspreet Nisha Friend’, ‘Jaspreet College Friend’, and ‘Akarti College Friend’, were part of a coordinated web of psychological manipulation. The mobile accounts had display pictures (DPs) featuring religious imagery — Lord Ram and Sita — and were geotagged to prayer sites, likely to avoid drawing suspicion or triggering security alerts.
Calculated attempt
The investigators at Maharashtra ATS believe this operation was far more than a one-off incident. “It was a calculated attempt to infiltrate Indian defence infrastructure through emotional exploitation and technological stealth,” said an officer privy to the investigation.
Verma, while initially a victim, allegedly became a willing participant as the bond with his “romantic” contact deepened. By the time he realised the gravity of the situation, he had already leaked sensitive information about ship deployments, maintenance issues, and technical vulnerabilities.
Despite his arrest, ATS officials remain tight-lipped about the broader scope of the operation. “The investigation is on the right track,” said an officer, adding, “But given the sensitivity, we cannot disclose further details at this stage.”
With Verma now in judicial custody, the focus shifts to identifying the broader network behind this digital masquerade.
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