Date:19/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/19/stories/2008071959560600.htm

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CB CID to probe phone tapping case

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: The Crime Branch CID police will investigate the phone tapping controversy that involves leakage of a transcript of conversation between two top officials in the State to a section of the media.

Home Secretary S. Malathi on Thursday lodged a complaint with the agency based on the findings of Justice P. Shanmugham commission of enquiry. Soon after registering a case, the CB CID’s Cyber Crime Cell arrested A. Shankar (32) of Maduravoyal, a Special Assistant in the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption.

He was booked under various provisions of the IPC, the Official Secrets Act, 1923 and the Information Technology Act, 2000.

CB CID officials maintained that the scope of investigation would cover all aspects pertaining to the leakage of the transcript. Shankar was produced in a city court and remanded in judicial custody, the police said.

“It has been made clear that Shankar was responsible for leaking the transcript to the media,” a CB CID official told The Hindu on Friday.

Investigators believe that the transcript of the conversation between former DVAC Director S.K. Upadhyay and Chief Secretary L.K. Tripathy was stored in the laptop of the former.

It was stolen from the system where a back-up was maintained. The government placed Mr. Upadhyay, Mr. Shankar and a DVAC Sub-Inspector, S. Prabhakaran, under suspension on Thursday.