A special court of the National Investigation Agency has sentenced a key accused in a Pakistan-linked espionage conspiracy to more than five years in prison for his role in misusing Indian SIM cards, one-time passwords, and social media platforms to aid hostile intelligence operations. Officials said on Wednesday that the accused, Altafhusen Ghanchibhai, also known as Shakil, admitted his guilt during the trial, which saw the prosecution examine 37 witnesses to establish the case.
The conviction was delivered by the special NIA court in Visakhapatnam, which pronounced the sentence on Tuesday after finding Ghanchibhai guilty of exploiting unique identification tools, including SIM cards and OTPs, and of facilitating their misuse through digital platforms. The court held that his actions formed part of a wider conspiracy with serious national security implications.
Under the order, Ghanchibhai was sentenced to simple imprisonment of five years and six months along with a fine of ₹5,000 under Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which deals with punishment for conspiracy and related offences. He was also sentenced to simple imprisonment of two years and six months with an additional fine of ₹5,000 under Section 66C of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which pertains to identity theft. The court directed that both sentences would run concurrently, limiting the total jail term to a maximum of five and a half years.
According to the NIA, the case was rooted in a cross-border conspiracy that relied on Indian SIM cards originally belonging to Indian fishermen. These fishermen had been arrested by the Pakistan Navy while fishing in international waters on the high seas, during which their mobile phones and SIM cards were seized.
Investigators said that after being confiscated by the Pakistan Navy, the seized mobile phones and SIM cards were later illicitly activated in India by the accused. Ghanchibhai allegedly used these SIM cards to generate OTPs on his handset and shared them with Pakistani Intelligence Operatives, enabling them to remotely operate Indian WhatsApp numbers from across the border.
The NIA stated that its investigation conclusively proved that the compromised Indian mobile numbers were subsequently used by Pakistani handlers to approach Indian defence personnel. By posing under false identities, the operatives attempted to extract sensitive and restricted defence-related information, actions that the agency said posed a direct threat to the unity, integrity, security, and sovereignty of India.
The agency added that the case highlights how seemingly ordinary digital tools such as SIM cards and messaging platforms can be weaponised in espionage networks, underscoring the evolving nature of cross-border security threats in the digital age.
