A trail of cryptocurrency transactions—first detected in a separate espionage case—ultimately led Indian intelligence agencies to Vikas Yadav, an Upper Division Clerk stationed at Nau Sena Bhavan, the naval wing of the Ministry of Defence. Yadav was arrested following a two-year surveillance operation after he was linked to the same crypto channel used by Ravi Prakash Meena, a Class 4 Defence Ministry employee arrested in 2022 for passing maps to Pakistani agents.
Investigators uncovered that both Yadav and Meena were receiving payments via the same cryptocurrency wallet, indicating a coordinated espionage network fueled by anonymous financial transfers.
Honeytrap in Uniform: Facebook, Gaming, and a Handler Named ‘Priya Sharma’
According to sources, Yadav’s vulnerability stemmed from his addiction to online gaming, which made him an easy target for Pakistani operatives. He was befriended on Facebook three years ago by a woman who introduced herself as “Priya Sharma”—a fictitious identity used by his Pakistani handler.
The digital friendship evolved into a communication channel over WhatsApp and Telegram, during which Yadav was allegedly manipulated into sharing sensitive naval information. Intelligence sources believe Yadav may have scanned confidential documents and passed them along, in exchange for cryptocurrency, which he used to fund his gaming habits.
Defence Compromise and ‘Operation Sindoor’ Link Under Probe
Investigators suspect that Yadav may have leaked documents related to Operation Sindoor, a sensitive naval activity, although the exact scope of the compromise remains classified. Officials are now analyzing Yadav’s seized mobile phone, which has been sent for forensic examination.
Yadav has been remanded to four-day custody by a special court, and officials are investigating how deep the espionage ring runs within clerical ranks at the Defence Ministry. This case again underscores Pakistan’s strategy of targeting lower-level ministry staff—through emotional manipulation or monetary inducement—to access classified information undetected.
The Defence Ministry and central agencies are expected to initiate a broader security audit and review digital vulnerabilities among support staff to prevent future breaches of national security.