Thane Court Remands Engineer in Police Custody Over Alleged Leak of Sensitive Navy Information
Thane, 3rd June 2025: Ravi Verma (27), a resident of Kalwa and a junior engineer employed by a company providing services to Mumbai’s naval dockyard, was produced before the Thane court on Monday afternoon. Verma stands accused of allegedly sharing sensitive information about the Navy’s restricted zone with a young woman, an act that authorities suspect may have been part of a “honey trap” orchestrated by Pakistani intelligence operatives through social media platforms. The court has remanded him to police custody until June 5 to facilitate further investigation and allow the police to complete a panchnama (spot inspection) at relevant locations.
Verma, who worked as a junior engineer, had access to maps and photographs of the dockyard due to his professional responsibilities. The allegations state that he passed these documents and images to a young woman, raising suspicions of espionage. The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested Verma, and following his arrest, he was presented before Judge J.S. Jagdale of the Thane court. During the proceedings, government prosecutors and Verma’s defence lawyers, Rajhans Girahase and Rupali Shinde, presented their arguments. The prosecution argued that further investigation was necessary, noting that voice samples had been collected from Verma. They also highlighted that police verification records dated back to 2021.
Verma’s lawyers countered that their client had cooperated with the ATS at every stage and that his arrest was made without prior notice. They insisted that a 26-27-year-old would not be involved in such activities and that the ATS had already taken the required voice samples. The defence also submitted police verification evidence to the court. After hearing both sides, Judge Jagdale remanded Verma to police custody until June 5.
During the hearing, Judge Jagdale asked Verma for his name and inquired if he had any complaints about the ATS. Verma replied that he had no complaints but was extremely frightened by the situation. The prosecution further revealed that certain notes found with Verma mentioned “Singhal Sir,” prompting questions about whether additional individuals might be involved in the case. The identity and role of “Singhal Sir” remain unclear, and the investigation is ongoing to determine if there are other suspects in the matter.
