NIA chargesheets 13 in Pak-linked espionage racket

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has chargesheeted 13 people under the stringent anti-terror law UAPA for alleged involvement in spying on sensitive locations as part of its probe in the Ghaziabad espionage case linked to Pakistan, officials said on Saturday.

The case, which was initially registered by Kaushambi Police Station, Commissionerate Ghaziabad on March 14 2026, relates to the installation of solar-powered cameras at sensitive spots at railway stations and providing live access from them to suspected terrorists in Pakistan, they said.

The chargesheet was filed before a special anti-terror court in Lucknow under sections 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) and 152 (endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and sections 3 and 5 (relating to spying, espionage and sharing of sensitive information) of the Official Secrets Act.


They have also been chargesheeted under sections 13, 17 and 18 (punishment for unlawful activities and terrorist acts) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), according to a statement by the NIA.

Those named in the chargesheet included Praveen, Raj Valmiki, Shiva Valmiki, Ritik Gangwar, Sameer alias Shooter, Durgesh Nishad, Naushad, Gagan Kumar, Vivek, Shivraj, Meera Thakur and Shane Iram alias Mahak, the probe agency said.

A Detailed Investigation Report (DIR) against five juveniles was already submitted before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), Ghaziabad, on May 18, 2026.

The investigation has established that the accused entered into a criminal conspiracy to commit illegal acts and serious offences prejudicial to the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India, the NIA said.

It has been established that 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, the NIA said.

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 added.