NIA chargesheets 13 accused in espionage case

Image used for representational purposes only. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against 13 accused persons in a espionage case.On Saturday (September 5, 2026), the agency identified them as Praveen, Raj Valmiki, Shiva Valmiki, Ritik Gangwar, Suhel Malik, Sameer, Durgesh Nishad, Naushad, Gagan Kumar, Vivek, Shivraj, Meera Thakur and Shane Iram. In May, it filed a Detailed Investigation Report (FIR) against five minors before the Juvenile Justice Board.The case was initially registered on March 14, March 2026, at the Kaushambi police station in Ghaziabad. So far, 21 accused persons have been arrested in connection with the case.“Investigation has established that the accused persons entered into a criminal conspiracy to commit illegal acts and serious offences prejudicial to the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India,” said the NIA.According to the agency, the accused illegally trespassed into, approached and accessed prohibited/sensitive areas of vital importance, installed spy cameras, and transmitted sensitive information – including photographs and videos with geo-tagging – to entities based in an “enemy country”.“They also facilitated such enemy-State-linked entities in procuring and using Indian SIM cards for unlawful activities and actively assisted them in obtaining photographs and videos of sensitive installations along with their precise GPS coordinates, which has the potential to endanger the sovereignty, unity, integrity and security of the nation,” it said. Published - September 05, 2026 11:01 pm IST