Corporate snooping: Home ministry official quizzed, aide held

Corporate snooping is emerging as one of the main reasons that triggered detention of senior Union home ministry official, Ravi Inder Singh, who was held by Delhi police on Monday. They also arrested on Tuesday a businessman, who allegedly used to cut deals for Singh.

A 1994 batch West Bengal cadre IAS officer, Ravi Inder Singh, was instrumental in handling FDI (foreign direct investment) files related to security clearances in the ministry of home affairs (MHA).

The Internal Security Division, where Singh is working, is considered to be the most sensitive wing and handles all crucial issues related to the country’s security.

Home ministry sources said Singh was handling 5,000 security related cases.

According to sources in the intelligence agencies, who have been keeping a close watch on him for the past couple of months, Singh cleared several files related to Chinese firms keen on either entering India or expanding business in the country. He was the director (internal security-1) and had joined this January.

Among those cleared was a Chinese firm that was seeking entry into various projects in the north-eastern states, especially Assam.

“On the basis of his mobile call details and conversations, we raided his office and home before placing him under detention. We have learnt that he was supplying information to corporate houses in lieu of money and other undue benefits,” a Delhi police officer said.

The police also arrested on Tuesday, a businessman from West Bengal, who allegedly used to cut deals for Singh.

“Vineet Kumar was arrested from a Delhi five star hotel. Kumar was telling people that he can get any work done in the Union home ministry,” police sources said.

Singh, however, has not been arrested as yet, but he has been placed under detention for corporate snooping. He was questioned for the second day on Tuesday. First, action will be taken against him for violating service conduct rules, and then he might be suspended, an official said.

“This is corporate snooping and clear violation of conduct rules. We are examining whether it is a corruption case. He has not been arrested and last night he was allowed to go after questioning. Today he came back and is being questioned again,” a police officer close to the investigations said.

Singh was handling important areas like shipping, telecom and mining for grant of no objection certificates. “Singh and Kumar used to charge hefty sums. Singh was cleverly covering up his [Kumar’s] activities. He had acquired four extra cellphones to strike deals with the interested parties. He used code words like prasad and laddoo to describe money while talking to them,” sources revealed.

A cocktail of sexual favours and demands for money for allegedly leaking secret information has emerged from transcripts of the tapes of Singh’s conversation with Kumar. Singh also reportedly used code words “software” and “hardware” in reference to women and hotel rooms.

“Singh was also looking at the issue of mobile number portability platform that implies a subscriber can retain his number while changing the operator. His primary task was to prepare notes, which were to be put before senior officers like home secretary for security clearances. He had been apparently hiding facts while preparing the notes,” sources informed.

Kumar and Singh will be further questioned to find out all cases where the duo took money, a Delhi police officer said.