CBI team to leave for London to seek extradition of Ravi Shankaran

The CBI will soon send its team, along with a cyber expert, to London to assist the UK's law officers in seeking extradition of Ravi Shankaran, the main accused in the Naval War Room leak case.

A Westminster court has fixed October 10 as the next date of hearing on India's plea for seeking extradition of 46-year-old Shankaran, who was arrested in London last year on the basis of Interpol Red Corner notice secured against him by the CBI.

Shankaran, whose passport was revoked by the Ministry of External Affairs on May 1, 2006, has been evading arrest in connection with the Naval War room leak case for over five years now. As the case was handed over to the CBI, Shankaran, kin of former Naval Chief Arun Prakash, had fled the country.

Highly-placed sources in the CBI said a team along with a cyber expert, who helped the probe agency in forensic examination of the computers seized from the war room, would be sent to London to assist the Crown Prosecution Services which is pleading the case on behalf of India in the London court.

Shankaran was facing extradition trial for allegedly committing cheating and forgery. However, the Official Secrets Act had not been invoked while seeking his return from London as it was not admissible under the UK's legal system.

His counsel had raised doubts about an e-mail with an attachment of Sir Creek sent by Commander Virender Rana to a person called Vic Branson of Inmaty company in Belgium, which they claimed was owned by Shankaran.

The court-approved forensic experts, as quoted by the accused's counsel, had claimed that the alleged e-mail by Vic Branson to Rana had no date and time and an independent court approved expert has confirmed that it is not possible to create an email, type 11 words, attach 8 documents and then save it all in 2 seconds only.