Two got punishment in espionage case. (file photo)
Digital Desk, New Delhi. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court on Monday sentenced two more accused in the Visakhapatnam naval espionage case linked to Pakistan to imprisonment.
The two convicted accused are Somnath Sanjay Ikade of Ahilyanagar district of Maharashtra and Sonu Kumar of Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh. They were arrested from Karwar (Karnataka) and Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) respectively in December 2019.
What did the investigation reveal?
The investigation revealed that they were in touch with foreign intelligence operatives through internet media and messaging platforms and had shared sensitive details related to Indian defense establishments.
How much punishment did the court give?
According to the NIA, each of them has been sentenced to five years, 11 months and 15 days of simple imprisonment under Section 18 of the UA(P) Act and Section 3 of the Official Secrets Act. The special court of Visakhapatnam has also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on both of them. In case of non-payment of fine, he will have to undergo additional simple imprisonment of one year.
10 people guilty in the case
This takes the total number of people convicted so far in the case to 10. The trial is going on against the remaining five accused arrested by NIA in the case. Last month, the court had sentenced Kalavalpalli Konda Babu of Visakhapatnam district and Aviyans Somal of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh to five years and 10 months of simple imprisonment each under Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Section 3 of the Official Secrets Act.
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