Thane, Maharashtra (June 2, 2025): A court in Thane on Monday extended the police custody of mechanical engineer Ravindra Verma till June 5. Verma was arrested for allegedly spying and sharing sensitive information about warships and submarines with Pakistan. The prosecution told the court that Verma’s colleagues need to be questioned.
Verma, 27, worked as a junior engineer with a defence technology firm. He was arrested last week by the Anti-Terrorism Squad. He lives in Kalwa, Thane. He was produced before the court at the end of his previous remand. Police asked for an extension to probe his workplace and question his colleagues.
According to the reports, Verma was honey-trapped by a Pakistani agent posing as a woman on Facebook. He passed classified information through sketches, diagrams, and audio notes. He reportedly received money from various bank accounts in India and abroad in return.
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On Monday, defence lawyer Rajhans Girase argued that Verma was falsely implicated. He said the police did not have solid evidence. Girase claimed Verma’s arrest was illegal because the ATS did not follow legal procedures. The lawyer said the court had not seen any proof. He added that the blue diary recovered from Verma contained only work-related notes. Regarding large transactions in Verma’s bank account, the defence said ₹2,000 was sent by a woman named Preeti for Verma’s niece. The defence argued against extending police custody, saying all documents had already been recovered.
The ATS reportedly said Verma had access to the Naval Dockyard in South Mumbai. He also boarded naval ships and submarines due to his work. The ATS suspects he shared the names of submarines and warships with the Pakistani agent.
(With inputs from agencies)