VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh Counter Intelligence Cell has arrested two persons from Raxaul in Bihar for allegedly facilitating Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs) to activate WhatsApp accounts using one-time passwords (OTPs) linked to Indian SIM cards for espionage activities.
The arrests were made during Phase II of Operation Firewall-2026, launched on October 25 as part of an ongoing investigation into an alleged espionage network targeting India’s national security.
The accused, Raja Kumar and Aditya Kumar alias Aditya Kumar Pandey, were produced before a court in Vijayawada on Wednesday, which remanded them to judicial custody till November 10.
Earlier, the AP Counter Intelligence Cell arrested Annam Sai Vara Prasad on October 1, and Naval employee Pradip Mukherjee on October 3. Both remain in judicial custody in Vijayawada district jail.
According to the police, Raja Kumar, a point-of-sale agent, allegedly shared OTPs through handlers in Nepal with PIOs to activate WhatsApp accounts on Indian mobile phone numbers. He also allegedly arranged for an Airtel Payments Bank account in another person’s name to get payments for the OTPs.