NEW DELHI – Top investigating Indian agency apprehended one serving and tworetired officers, along with two private persons, for leaking confidentialinformation related to a submarine project.
Reports in Indian media officials said the arrests were made for leakingclassified details about the ongoing modernisation project of Kilo-classsubmarines with the two retired officers for alleged illegal gratification.
Unnamed Indian officials told media that the action was initiated inSeptember and the matter relates to the upgrade of Russian-originKilo-class submarines in the Indian fleet.
Officials have raided around 19 locations in the South Asian country whilea number of people were interrogated while officials also recovered digitalevidence.
Meanwhile, the detained officials are being probed as Indian officials areanxious if the information falls into the wrong hands. The probe by theinvestigation agency with the complete support of the Indian navy is inprogress, per reports.
Meanwhile, the Indian navy has also launched an internal inquiry, led by avice admiral, to unearth how classified information leaked despite securityprotocols and advisories.
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India operates eight Kilo-class submarines, four HDW German originsubmarines, and three Scorpene submarines besides operating an indigenousnuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine.
The recent bust is not the first one as earlier in 2005, sensitiveinformation, including the Navy’s plans, were leaked and referred to as thenotorious Naval War Room Leak, which became one of the biggest defensescandals of the Indian Navy.
In 2016, many of the news outlets reported that the entire design plan ofIndia’s Scorpene submarine fleet had been leaked.
Last year, at least 13 Indian navy personnel were detained for leakingsensitive information on social media. The arrested personnel reportedlyleaked crucial information including the routes they operate, details ofother colleagues recruited recently from various naval bases.
