CBI arrests five for leaking secret details of submarine project

New Delhi: The CBI has arrested five people, including a naval officer of Commander rank, for leaking details of an ongoing submarine project. The officer provided details of the submarine project in return for illegally taking advantage, officials said.

In addition to the officer, two other retired naval officers and several others have been detained under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Anti-Corruption Act since the agency took action last month.

The agency had conducted investigations in 19 places, including Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. It has seized key documents and digital evidence in the investigation and is investigating, they said.

A commander-level officer working in the Western Naval Command in Mumbai is believed to have discussed with two other retired officers important details about the modernization of the Kilo-class submarine project in the context of illegal gifts, they said.

The anti-corruption agency handles sensitive and high-profile corruption cases. His main task when he started operations was to detect information leaks. The unit may also interrogate several other officers and former officers who were in contact with the arrested officers and retired employees, they said.

He said the CBI was conducting a forensic analysis of the digital products used by the officer, who used them to understand the impact of the information reaching the established interests from the hands of the people. The Navy is also cooperating fully in the CBI probe.