KOCHI: Three men, including two employees of a private English television news channel, were arrested on Saturday for allegedly trespassing into a prohibited area and filming an Iranian warship anchored at Kochi port.
A reporter and a cameraman from the Thiruvananthapuram bureau of the channel were booked based on a complaint filed by an inspector of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). A 57-year-old boat driver was also booked in the case, sources with the Kochi city police said.
According to the complaint, the media personnel allegedly entered the high-security Southern Coal Berth (SCB) area of the Cochin Port Authority around 8 am on Saturday. They are accused of trespassing into the restricted zone and capturing photographs and videos of a ship owned by Iran that had anchored at the port as part of a humanitarian arrangement based on a diplomatic decision of the Government of India.
“When the suspects arrived at the spot, CISF personnel warned them that it was a matter of national security. However, despite the warning, they allegedly proceeded into the port area and filmed the ship,” said an officer with the Harbour Crime Police Station.
Based on the complaint, the suspects were booked under various charges, including entering a prohibited place for purposes prejudicial to the safety or interests of the State and wrongful communication of sensitive government information under the Official Secrets Act, as well as criminal trespass under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The accused were later taken into custody, formally arrested, and will be produced before a court soon, the officer added.
Meanwhile, in a similar case, the Harbour police had arrested a man on May 12, 2025, for allegedly attempting to find out the location of the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant at a time when tensions between India and Pakistan were high following the Pahalgam terror attack.
In a statement issued here, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kochi city, requested the public to take down any photo or video of ships docked along the Kerala coast. “Any violation of this attracts stringent penalties as it is a matter of national security,” the statement said.