Kerala man poses as PMO official, dials Naval Base seeking INS Vikrant’s location; arrested

Kochi: A man has been arrested for impersonating an official from the Prime Minister’s Office and attempting to gather information about INS Vikrant through a phone call. The accused, Mujeeb Rahman, is a native of Nadakkavu in Kozhikode. He was taken into custody from Kozhikode this morning and brought to Kochi. After interrogation, his arrest was formally recorded.

The call was made to the landline of the Kochi Naval Base, seeking details about the current location of INS Vikrant. The call came in around 9 pm on Friday. The caller had claimed to be from the Prime Minister’s Office and introduced himself as ‘Raghavan’.

Based on a complaint lodged by the Navy regarding the incident, the Harbour Police registered a case has been filed under Section 319(2) of the BNS and the Official Secrets Act. He is being questioned by the state police, Navy and the Intelligence Bureau.

The call came at a time when tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated, prompting the police to launch a detailed investigation into the matter.