PTI
NEW DELHI, Nov 5: Unravelling further links in the navy war room leak case, the CBI has arrested a former navy captain for allegedly stealing "highly classified" documents.
The agency, after registering a case against Captain Salam Singh Rathore, arrested him from his residence late Friday night for alleged violation of the Officials Secrets Act. He was arrested under Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and other relevant sections of the act, officials said.
He was produced in the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Seema Maini, who remanded him to CBI custody till November 10 as the agency pleaded that his interrogation was required to ascertain the ramifications of the network behind the war room leak.
Rathore, who had sought voluntary retirement in 2005, was deputy director of the Naval Procurement Board at the time of occurrence of the war room leak, which involved the pilferage of sensitive documents that were allegedly handed over to arms dealers.
He had last served in the naval base at Vishakhapatnam before seeking retirement, which was approved last year. Rathore is currently working as a senior executive in Virat Consultants and Traders Limited, a company that deals in the sale and purchase of defence equipment.
Rathore came under the CBI scanner when the agency recently carried out raids against arms dealers and agents.
Sources claimed that certain "highly sensitive documents" had been recovered from him. After scrutinising the documents and seeking an opinion from the defence ministry, the CBI arrested Rathore.
So far, CBI has arrested nine people in connection with the leak of information from the war room or Directorate of Naval Operations and associated cases. They include some retired defence officials like Kulbushan Parashar and retired IAF wing commander S L Surve and Delhi-based businessman Abhishek Verma.
The CBI has also issued an Interpol Red Corner notice against Ravi Shankaran, kin of former navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash, and confiscated his property. Shankaran is believed to be in Britain.