Mumbai, June 18 (IANS): The Reliance Group said on Saturday it was shocked at news reports on the so called “Essar Tapes” that refer to "completely illegal and criminal" wiretap on some individuals in its group and asked for a thorough official probe into the matter.

"We suspect that the purported conversations, as referred to in the media, must have been spliced, altered, doctored and manipulated to serve the heinous interests of those who engaged in the alleged illegal phone tapping operations," a company spokesperson said in a statement.

"We have at all times fully complied with the laws of the land in all our business activities, and to suggest otherwise is criminally defamatory," the spokesperson said, adding that the said wiretap case was done 10-15 years ago, before the re-organisation of the Reliance Group. 

"We expect the authorities to fully investigate these allegations of illegal phone tapping by highly irresponsible and criminally minded persons, and to bring the guilty parties to book at the earliest."

The statement follows report suggesting that a complaint has been made to the Prime Minister's Office by a lawyer, alleging illegal wire taps by a top company on the phones of former and also now-serving ministers, corporate captains and bureaucrats between 2001 and 2006.