Cover blown: How Pakistani ‘Priya Sharma’ lured Indian Navy clerk Vishal Yadav’s to leak Operation Sindoor secrets; offered Rs 50k for high-value intelligence | Jaipur News
JAIPUR: Intelligence agencies are conducting a detailed investigation into the financial links between a Pakistani ISI handler and Vishal Yadav, an Upper Division Clerk (UDC) posted at the Naval Headquarters in Delhi. Yadav, who was arrested in Delhi and brought to Jaipur Wednesday, allegedly received money directly in his bank account and through cryptocurrency transactions for spying for Pakistan. The money trail played a crucial role in leading investigators to his arrest.Suspicion over Yadav’s activities surfaced during a review of Facebook accounts flagged in a 2022 espionage case involving one Ravi Prakash Meena, a Class IV employee posted at Sena Bhawan in Delhi. Meena was arrested by the Rajasthan police’s intelligence wing in Oct 2022 for allegedly leaking sensitive military information to Pakistani handlers. He was lured into the network by a woman identifying herself as Anjali Tiwari on social media, who later moved their conversation to encrypted platforms.Investigators probing Meena’s case placed several suspicious social media accounts under surveillance, including one named “Priya Sharma.” Yadav’s name came up during this review. As the surveillance on Yadav deepened, officials found that he too shared sensitive military information, including updates on military operations such as Op Sindoor. Payments were made to Yadav in small instalments, ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 for low-level information and up to Rs 50,000 for high-value intelligence. Some of the transactions were made using USDT cryptocurrency.A senior official said that Yadav is a resident of a village in Rewari district, Haryana. His family, currently based in Rewari city, includes several members who served in the police force. His father, a former assistant sub-inspector in the Haryana police, took voluntary retirement about a decade ago. Yadav joined the Navy five years ago after clearing the SSB examination.During a forensic examination of Yadav’s phone, investigators recovered encrypted messages, financial records and sensitive files. His extensive involvement in online gaming also surfaced during the probe. Yadav was presented in court Thursday and remanded to four days of police custody.
