June 16, 2010
Two senior officers under scanner for role in suspected espionage ring
New Delhi:
Indian agencies are looking into the possible role of two senior army officers in a suspected espionage ring, following the hacking of the computer of a major based in the Andamans.
sources said on Tuesday a joint team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Military Intelligence (MI) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) is looking into what has so far been termed only as a "cyber security breach". The NIA is probing if there was a deliberate leak of information from the major's computer.
The sources said the two officers, of the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS), could be called for questioning soon.
The revelation comes a day after security agencies tracked a server in Pakistan that was used to hack the computer of the major, who is also being questioned by the probe team.
The source said the computer had sensitive information in over 2,500 defence presentations. The files have been found to be beyond his sphere of work, some files being "secret and even top-secret".
The Andaman and Nicobar deployment is part of the tri-service command, where all three service work as one unit under the overall command of the IDS.The sources said the computer of the major was being accessed from two proxy servers, the location of one which has been tracked to Pakistan. A forensic report says some key files and e-mails were deleted from the computer after it was seized by authorities.
The major came under the scanner after a tip-off from US intelligence examining suspicious internet traffic during their probe related to Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Headley.
The major has been called twice to the national capital and has been detained for questioning. His computer is currently with the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in Hyderabad.
Case against 3-star general to continue
In a blow to dismissed Lieutenant General SK Sahni, the Armed Forces Tribunal has directed that disciplinary proceedings continue against him.
Sahni is the first 3-star general to be proceeded against in court martial proceedings by the highest court in the armed forces. He will stand trial and any appeal against the tribunal's verdict can be filed only in the apex court.
The tribunal has directed Sahni to report to the Jalandhar-based 11 Corps for the summary of evidence, after which the General Court Martial (GCM) will take place.
The tribunal had earlier directed the Indian Army to re-investigate the matter against Sahni, who was indicted by a court of inquiry on charges of irregularities found in procurement of dry rations for troops posted in the Kashmir valley. He was also charged with procuring poor quality pulses.
Sahni sought an interim stay by Delhi high court against the army's decision to take action against him. The high court dismissed Sahni's writ directions to go back to the tribunal. Shani, along with Major General BPS Mander and Brigadiers SK Handa and PS Gill, was among the six officers tried in the court of inquiry.
The incident took place in 2004. The court of inquiry ordered against Sahni. Though Sahni retired in 2006, the action against him will continue under the Army Act.
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