Accused Jatin Charania came in touch with Pak agent on Social Media

Gujarat ATS nabbed Jatin Charania who shared sensitive information about the movement of Coast Guard Ships with a Pakistani agent who befriended him via a fake account; he was paid Rs 6,000 for every info

The Gujarat ATS on Thursday nabbed yet another man for spying. Cops caught Jatin Jeetendra Charania, 21, a fisherman from Porbandar, who was allegedly in touch with a Pakistani Intelligence Operative (PIO) for the last four months. Jatin came in touch with the PIO through the social media handle named Advika Prince, which was a front for the officer. Jatin allegedly shared sensitive national security information with the Pakistani officer.

This comes close on the heels of CID Crime arresting a former aeronautical engineer Praveenkumar Mishra on charges of espionage and supplying information about drone and missile technology.

DSP ATS Shankar Chaudhry said Jatin provided the Pakistani agents with information about the movements of Indian Coast Guard ships and other vessels leaving or coming to the jetty. “Jatin initially provided information through FB messenger and then started communicating through WhatsApp and Telegram in return for money. We have recovered sensitive pictures from Jatin,” said Chaudhary.

ATS officials said Jatin came in touch with an FB account by the name of Advika Prince in January 2024. The PIO impersonated a woman and when the officer came to know that Jatin was a fisherman and ventured into the sea, the Pakistani spy developed a friendship with him. Gradually Jatin was trapped by the FB handle and he began to share information.

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“Jatin also made a video of ships anchored at Porbandar Jetty and sent it to the PIO. The PIO transferred ₹6,000 to Charania for the information. They then began chatting on telegram and most of their chat history was deleted within 24 hours of correspondence. The PIO also activated an Indian SIM card through OTP and also talked to him via WhatsApp. The IP address of the device on which the WhatsApp account was operated is of Pakistan,” said an ATS official.

(With Agency Inputs)