Udupi: Two employees of Cochin Shipyard have been arrested by Udupi Police on Thursday for allegedly sharing confidential information related to the Indian Navy through WhatsApp and Facebook, and earning illegal financial benefits.

The arrested accused have been identified as Rohit (29) and Santri (37), both residents of Sultanpur district in Uttar Pradesh. They were produced before the court, which remanded them to judicial custody. They will be taken into police custody tomorrow, Udupi Superintendent of Police Hariram Shankar said during an emergency press briefing.

According to the preliminary investigation, Rohit is the prime accused in the case. He had been working at the Cochin Shipyard unit in Malpe for the past six months. The investigation revealed that he was collecting sensitive information from Santri, who is currently employed at the main Cochin Shipyard in Kochi, and secretly sending it to Pakistan and other foreign countries.

The SP further stated that Rohit had received a large amount of money in return for sharing the classified information.

Both accused were employees at the Cochin Shipyard in Kochi and its Malpe unit, which function under the Union Government’s Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. Police suspect that the duo had been leaking confidential information for the past one-and-a-half years. The investigation is ongoing.

Source: Vartha Bharathi (Translate in english)