The Delhi Police have arrested two officials of the Environment Ministry and the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in connection with the official documents leak case. Vipan Kumar (42), personal assistant to a Member of UPSC was arrested on Wednesday night along Jatinder Nagpal (40), personal secretary to a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Forest. Police claimed to have recovered various confidential documents from them.
Police said this could be a third module as both the accused used to share a common e-mail ID, which was being used to forward documents to some of their clients, including various company consultants. Crime Branch officials were alarmed after they revealed that they were in this ‘business’ for the last 15 years. The Crime Branch has detained some more persons for questioning in this regard and more arrests are likely in the case.
Their names surfaced during the interrogation of lokesh Sharma, an employee with Infraline Energy who was arrested on Monday following the registration of the second FIR in the document leak case. The Pioneer had reported on Wednesday that police had picked up a staff from the Ministry of Environment and Forest in connection with the corporate espionage case.
Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi said on Thursday: “Both the accused have told us about some consultancy firms. They gave documents to these consultancy firms, one of which has already come in our notice. We are looking into this matter and are trying to corroborate things in this matter.”
He said: “The interrogation so far does not point towards any involvement of the officers to whom they were attached to and as of now we don’t need to question them.” Vipan Kumar of Sarai Rohilla, currently posted as PA to a member of UPSC had joined service as a stenographer Grade D in Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) in 1996 and worked till 2010. Due to his easy access to this Ministry he was getting important, secret documents from MoPNG.
Jatinder Nagpal of Hari Nagar, currently posted as personal secretary to a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Forest had also joined service as a Stenographer D in 1994 in the Ministry of law and Justice. He had mostly served in Ministry of law from 1994-2007, with a short stint of two years (2001-03) in Ministry of Chemical and Fertilizers.
He used to procure the documents from Vipan Kumar, lokesh Sharma and others. Sources said Nagpal’s wife also works as a personal secretary in a Ministry at Nirman Bhawan. Police may call her too for questioning.
Both of accused have disclosed that they were involved in this illegal activity for the last 12 years. They shared a common e-mail Id which was being used to forward documents to some of their clients. They were produced in the Court and have been remanded to five-day police custody.
Sharma has been allegedly procuring, stealing confidential documents from Ministries of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Coal in Shastri Bhawan and Ministry of Power, Shram Shakti Bhawan, Rafi Marg, Delhi with the help of his associates in connivance with some staff of these Ministries.
Police said Sharma’s module operated independently of the one which 13 people were arrested last week, including Reliance Industries corporate affairs manager Shailesh Saxena, Jubilant Energy senior executive Subhash Chandra, Reliance ADAG DGM Rishi Anand, Essar DGM Vinay Gupta and Cairns India GM KK Naik.
Sources told The Pioneer that the owner of Infraline Energy may also be called for interrogation in connection with the case. During the investigations, it was found that Sharma used to pass on the “secret” documents to his staff members as well. Police has also questioned five more staff members.