Thiruvananthapuram: Kochi police arrested a man on Monday who imitated a staff member from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and sought information from the naval base on the deployment of the Ins Ins Vikrant, an indigenous aircraft carrier.
The man was identified as Mujeeb Rahman, a native of Elathur in Kozhikode district.
The incident occurred on the evening of May 9, when Kochi Naval Base received a call from a man known as “Raghavan” who claimed to be a staff member of the PMO. He wants to know the current location of Ins Vikrant.
Naval authorities were suspicious of callers and the intention to seek sensitive information, and he refused to provide any details. They immediately reminded the police.
The Port Police Department took action, conducted FIR registration of the caller and launched an investigation.
Gauchi City Police Commissioner Putta Vimladitya said the person closed the phone shortly after the media reported on the imitation attempt.
But police continued to investigate and eventually followed on Monday’s imitators. He was arrested by the police team and taken to Kochi and was further questioned by senior officials.
During the investigation, police learned from Mujib’s family that he was mentally unstable and had been treated for mental health illnesses for the past four years.
The family said Mujib made a phone call after reporting through online media that Ins Vikrant had attacked the Karachi port. As part of Operation Sindhaul, there are rumors about the attacks at the port of Karachi.
The Cozhi Commissioner said medical experts will examine the person to determine his or her mental health status.
The investigative agency is also checking call details, social media accounts and emails to determine whether he is himself or as requested by others.
In addition to allegations of counterfeiting, investigative officials also invoked provisions under the official secret bill that attempts to seek confidential information.
Indian Navy Response
Meanwhile, the Indian Navy said in an official statement: “A suspicious call asking about naval assets has received a civil telephone number from a civil telephone number from a Naval Base in Kochi on 9 May 2025. The Navy’s internal security mechanism quickly marked the incident and attracted the attention of relevant intelligence agencies and attracted the attention of people. We will fully cooperate with the investigative authorities on this incident.”
“The Indian Navy conducts subversive and espionage on confrontational factors to obtain sensitive information. Stay sensitive information. Stay high in preparation, the Indian Navy is committed to the highest operating security standards for national interests.”
