KOCHI: A 30-year-old contract worker at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) has been apprehended by the police on charges of sharing photos and videos of ships under construction for the Indian Navy with his girlfriend, whom he met through social media.
Sreenish Pookkodan, residing in Manjeri, in Malappuram district, was employed as an electronic mechanic on a contract basis at CSL, and he reportedly shared photographs and other information of the Shipyard with his Facebook girlfriend named Angel Payal between March 1 and December 19, according to CSL. He was arrested based on a complaint filed by CSL on Thursday, police said.
According to the complaint, the accused allegedly captured images of the movement of defense vessels, details of their maintenance and location, and the movement of VVIPs.
The police revealed that the incident came to light through a probe conducted by the Intelligence Bureau and CSL's internal investigation wing.
"We registered a case against the individual based on CSL's complaint. We found that he shared images and videos of vessels under construction for the Indian Navy at CSL. The mobile device used for sharing details with the girl through Facebook has been recovered," stated an officer from the Ernakulam South police station.
Police said Sreenish shared the images and videos with an individual named Angel P. TNIE found that Sreenish had one Angel P as his friend. The woman purportedly is associated with a Dubai-based company,
TNIE also came to understand that he shared several photos that he clicked inside the CSL on his social media account along with other people.
"As per the information gathered from the accused, the person with whom he communicated spoke in a female voice. We are yet to identify the details of his Facebook friend. Given the highly secured nature of the area, sharing such information poses a national security threat," said the police officer.