New Delhi, Mar 24 (PTI) The NIA on Thursday conducted searches at multiple locations in Gujarat and Maharashtra in an espionage case related to gathering sensitive information about vital installations to carry out terror attacks with the involvement of Pakistani agents, an official said.

The case was initially registered by the counter intelligence cell of Andhra Pradesh in Vijayawada on January 10, 2020 and re-registered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on December 23, 2021, a spokesperson for the anti-terror agency said.

Also Read | CBI Waits Consent To Probe Rs 21,000 Crore With Bank Fraud Cases, Says Report.

The official said the searches were conducted at four locations linked to suspects in Godhra in Gujarat and Buldhana in Maharashtra.

During the searches, digital devices, suspicious SIM cards and incriminating documents have been seized, the spokesperson said.

Also Read | Gurugram: FIR Against 51 For Developing Illegal Colonies.

The NIA said the investigation so far had revealed that Pakistani agents had conspired with other accused persons based in Visakhapatnam, Mumbai and Gujarat for gathering sensitive information for conducting terror acts in India.

Indian SIM cards were fraudulently procured and One Time Passwords were received through their Indian associates for activation of WhatsApp by Pakistan-based handlers which was then used to establish contact with defence personnel to elicit sensitive information related to vital installations, the spokesperson said.

The NIA said further investigation in the case continues.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)