The National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court in Visakhapatnam has handed down a five-and-a-half-year prison term to Altafhusen Ghanchibhai alias Shakil, a key accused in a Pakistan-led espionage conspiracy. The accused, who admitted guilt during the trial where 37 witnesses were examined, misused mobile SIM cards and social media platforms.
Altafhusen Ghanchibhai was convicted for misusing unique identification features, such as SIM cards and OTPs, and social media. The special court issued the sentence on Tuesday, consisting of five years and six months of simple imprisonment with a Rs 5,000 fine under Section 18 of UA (P) Act, and two-and-a-half years of simple imprisonment with a Rs 5,000 fine under Section 66C of the IT Act, 2000. Both sentences will run concurrently up to a maximum of 5.5 years.
The case involved a cross-border conspiracy where Indian SIM cards seized from fishermen by the Pakistan Navy were activated in India by the accused for espionage activities. Investigation by the NIA confirmed that the accused used the Indian SIM cards to generate OTPs, shared with Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs) to operate Indian WhatsApp numbers from Pakistan.
The compromised Indian numbers were then used by PIOs to contact Indian defense personnel under false identities, aiming to extract sensitive defense-related information, posing a threat to India’s unity, integrity, security, and sovereignty. The NIA emphasized its ongoing efforts to combat cyber-enabled cross-border terrorism and espionage, ensuring accountability for such offenders.
