Budget inputs among secret files stolen from ministries

February 21, 2015

New Delhi, Feb 21: Draft papers for the Union Budget to be presented on February 28, government documents on ONGC Videsh and, petroleum and natural gas opportunities in Sri Lanka are among the highly classified files stolen from the offices of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry in central Delhi’s Shastri Bhawan.

Stolen ministries

On Friday, police arrested seven more people in the case related to corporate espionage. Former journalist Santanu Saikia, energy consultant Prayas Jain, Shailesh Saxena of Reliance Industries, Vinay Kumar of Essar, K K Naik of Cairn India, Subhash Chandra of Jubilant Energy and Rishi Anand of Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group were also arrested.

Saikia is associated with an energy portal Indianpetro. com, while Jain is associated with an oil and gas firm based in New Delhi and Melbourne. Others have been accused of buying the leaked documents, analysing them and selling them off to corporate houses. The arrests in the case made by police have reached 12.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjay Khanagwal of the Patiala House Court in central Delhi remanded Shantanu, Prayas, Lalta and Rakesh in the custody of the crime branch until February 23. The remaining accused have been sent to 14-day judicial custody.

The crime branch on Friday took some of the accused to Shastri Bhawan as part of its investigation. Police told the court that Santanu and Prayas gave Rs 70,000 to Lalta and Rakesh every month for procuring the documents. “Lalta and Prayas were on their pay role,” police told court.

The documents were shared with corporate houses and had details of policies related to oil pricing as well as imports. The FIR filed by crime branch police on Wednesday said the documents were recovered from Lalta Prasad and his brother Rakesh Kumar. “Seven documents were recovered from a black bag carried by Lalta, while nine documents were recovered from a brown envelope carried by Rakesh on February 17,” said Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police (Crime) Ravindra Yadav.

Others have been accused of buying the leaked documents, analysing them and selling them off to corporate houses. The arrests in the case made by police have reached 12.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjay Khanagwal of the Patiala House Court in central Delhi remanded Shantanu, Prayas, Lalta and Rakesh in the custody of the crime branch until February 23. The remaining accused have been sent to 14-day judicial custody.

The crime branch on Friday took some of the accused to Shastri Bhawan as part of its investigation. Police told the court that Santanu and Prayas gave Rs 70,000 to Lalta and Rakesh every month for procuring the documents. “Lalta and Prayas were on their pay role,” police told court.

The documents were shared with corporate houses and had details of policies related to oil pricing as well as imports.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
May 14,2020

London, May 14: Fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya on Thursday urged the Central government to accept his offer to repay 100 per cent of his loan dues and close the case against him.

While congratulating the Centre for introducing Rs 20 lakh crore relief package to boost the economy amid the coronavirus lockdown, Mallya, lamented that his repeated attempts to pay back his dues have been ignored by the Indian government.

"Congratulations to the Government for a Covid 19 relief package. They can print as much currency as they want BUT should a small contributor like me who offers 100% payback of State-owned Bank loans be constantly ignored? Please take my money unconditionally and close," he tweeted.

Earlier this month, Mallya had sought permission to appeal against a ruling ordering his extradition to India in Britain's highest court the UK Supreme Court.

The application comes two weeks after the High Court in London - the UK's second-highest court - dismissed Mallya's appeal against a lower court ruling that he be sent to India to face charges of defrauding a consortium of Indian banks of more than Rs 9,000 crores relating to the collapse of Kingfisher Airlines in 2012.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
January 17,2020

New Delhi, Jan 17: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia does not have any car on his name, according to information shared in the poll affidavit filed by him for Delhi elections.

In the affidavit, it is also shown that while his self-acquired immovable property remained roughly the same as in 2015. His wife's self-acquired immovable property is worth roughly about Rs 65 lakh, as per his latest affidavit.

In the papers submitted during the nomination for 2015 Delhi polls, the senior AAP leader had declared that he owned a Maruti Swift car of make 2013.

However, in his 2020 affidavit, he has mentioned "nil" in the column for motor vehicles and other means of transport.

In the affidavit submitted on Thursday, his moveable assets were declared worth Rs 4,74,888 for 2018-19, as against Rs 4,92,624 for 2013-14.

In 2015, Sisodia had informed in his affidavit that he had bought a property in Vasundhara, Ghaziabad, worth Rs 5.07 lakh in April 2001. The approximate current market value of self-acquired property in 2015 was Rs 12 lakh.

In his current affidavit, the AAP leader has mentioned the same property. However, the approximate current market value of self-acquired property in 2020 has increased to Rs 21 lakh.

In his affidavit for the 2015 polls, Sisodia had also said that his wife had purchased a property in March 2008 costing Rs 8.70 lakh. At that time, the approximate value of her self-acquired property was Rs 20 lakh.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 11,2020

New Delhi, Mar 11: A doctor in Kerala on Tuesday alleged that she was sacked by the management of the private clinic she was working with for informing authorities about a non-resident Indian (NRI) patient who reportedly declined to undergo the mandatory check for coronavirus.

Dr Shinu Syamalan said the patient had come to the clinic recently with suspected symptoms of the virus.

"When he was asked whether he had visited any foreign countries, he said he was coming from Qatar. But he had not reported to the Health department about his foreign trip," she said.

When he was directed to inform about his foreign travel to the state Health Department, which has been monitoring people coming from abroad for the virus, he refused and said he was going back to Qatar, she told reporters.

Concerned over the health of the person who had high fever, Ms Syamalan informed health and police authorities.

"Officials who let the patient go abroad do not have any problem, but I have become jobless," she posted on social media.

She alleged she was sacked by the management of the clinic for reporting the matter to police and informing the public about the incident through social media and through television.

"The argument of the management is that no one would turn up for treatment in the clinic if they come to know that it was visited by patients with suspected symptoms of Coronavirus," she said.

There was no immediate reaction from the management of the private health clinic.

Official sources said the District Medical Officer (DMO) at Thrissur has complained to the collector against Shinu Syamalan accusing her of defaming health officials.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.