CNN-IBN
New Delhi, Jun 24: CBI on Friday raided the naval headquaters and offices in the Ministry of Defence in connection with the Navy War Room leak case.
It also raided 17 places in four cities - 13 in Delhi and one each in Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Pune and Vishakhapattinam in connection with the Navy War Room leak case.
Among those being searched include the houses of 10 Navy officers, two Army officers and also that of arms dealer Abhishek Verma.
The home of a chartered accountant, Sushil, who was under scrutiny in the case, has also been raided.
Some big names involved in the scandal have started surfacing including that of Ravi Shankaran, who is related to the Naval Chief Admiral, Arun Prakash.
Earlier this month, the CBI's probe had hit a roadblock, as British authorities did not confirm the presence of Ravi Shankaran in UK.
The CBI, through the External Affairs Ministry, had approached British authorities for the deportation of Shankaran, who was believed to be in the UK, on the grounds that his passport had been revoked and an Interpol Red Corner Notice had been issued against him.
However, British authorities have told the CBI that they were unable to execute the Red Corner Notice, as Shankaran was not available at possible places listed by the agency in its request.
The Government had on May 1 revoked Shankaran's passport after he failed to appear before the CBI for questioning despite several notices served at his office and residence in Mumbai.
Shankaran's office in Mumbai, Shanks Oceangraphic Private Limited, and the office of Jennifer Mirza, who was allegedly heading his front organisation in Goa, were also raided.
Former Navy Commander Kulbushan Parashar, already arrested by the CBI, had told investigators that he had met Shankaran in London. Parashar was arrested by the CBI on April 6 when he returned from the UK.
The CBI has already issued a 'Look Out Notice' against Shankaran to all airports, railway stations, major ports and bus terminals with a note that he should be arrested immediately.
The agency registered a case on March 20 against former IAF Wing Commander Sambhaji Rao Surve, Shankaran, ex-Navy Commanders Vinod Kumar Jha and Vinod Rana, Raj Rani Jaiswal, who allegedly acted as a honey trap for the defence personnel, Mukesh Bajaj, Wing Commander (retd) SK Kohli, Kashyap Kumar and former Navy Commander Kulbushan Parashar.
While Surve, Jha, Rana, Parashar, Jaiswal and Bajaj were arrested by the CBI, Kohli and Parashar joined the investigation and were cooperating with the agency in the case.
The case against all the nine persons has been registered under various sections of the Official Secrets Act and Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code, which relates to criminal conspiracy, in connection with the leak of classified information from the war room on the Navy's purchase plans.
War Room Leak Case
- May 2005: Naval officers posted in the Operations Directorate of Naval Headquarters were found trading off classified information of a commercial nature. The information related to fleet acquisition plans.
- Naval Board of Inquiry held three officers - Captain Kashyap Kumar and Commanders Virendra Rana and V K Jha - guilty of leaking secret information in exchange for bribes and favours.
- In October 2005, they were dismissed from the Navy on charges of “compromising the security of classified information and jeopardising the interests of the state”.
- Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash offered to resign after the involvement of his wife’s nephew, Ravi Shankaran, came to light.
- One of the dismissed officers, Kashyap Kumar moved the Delhi High Court challenging his dismissal.
- February 2006: The case was transferred to the CBI.
- April 5, 2006: The CBI arrested six persons. Nine persons were charged with conspiring to trade off classified information, the disclosure of which is likely to affect the sovereignty and integrity of the country. All nine were booked under the Official Secrets Act and charged with criminal conspiracy.
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