Gujarat ATS Arrests Fisherman in Honeytrap Spy Case Orchestrated by Pakistani Intelligence

AHMEDABAD, GUJARAT : A 21-year-old fisherman from Porbandar has been detained by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on suspicion of spying while using a honeytrap that Pakistani intelligence had established. The suspect, Jatin Charaniya, was purportedly drawn in by a phoney Facebook account used by Pakistani operatives seeking to obtain private information about the area.

The case started when Gujarat ATS police officer PB Desai got a tip-off that Charaniya, a resident of Porbandar’s Subhashnagar region, had been interacting with the Facebook persona for the previous four months on WhatsApp and Telegram. The profile, dubbed “Advika Prince,” was a ruse to get Charaniya to reveal important information.

After getting word of the tip, the ATS kept an eye on Charaniya’s communications and carried out technical surveillance. The inquiry turned out that Charaniya had been emailing the handlers of the “Advika Prince” persona private material, including pictures and videos of the Porbandar Jetty, the harbour, and the Indian Coast Guard. He got paid ₹6,000 using online transfers in return for this information.

Inspector Desai said, “Pakistani intelligence set up the Advika Prince Facebook page with the intention of honey trapping her. Unbelievably, Charaniya fell into this trap thinking he was speaking with a real person.

The arrest of Charaniya by Gujarat ATS highlights the advanced techniques Pakistani intelligence uses to find weak points and obtain confidential information. Right now, the Gujarat ATS is delving deeply into this espionage network to learn more about it and to find any other parties who might be engaged.

Social networking sites are now a major technique used by intelligence services to communicate with possible informants; they frequently use fictitious identities to take advantage of psychological and emotional weaknesses.

Authorities are advising the general public to use cautious when contacting with strangers online and to report any unusual activity to the appropriate authorities in reaction to this event. Enhancing its monitoring and surveillance capabilities is another goal of the ATS to stop future occurrences of this kind.