2 Oil Ministry employees held for leaking information

In all, five persons were arrested for entering the ministry using false papers and stealing documents to sell them

The Union government today cracked down on illegal information leaks from the ministry of petroleum and natural gas. The Delhi Police detained two employees of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) and three other unknown persons for allegedly leaking confidential information.

A clerical staff and a peon were apprehended by the police. “We have been looking into this case for a long time. One of the persons is a driver and the other is a former Multi Tasking Staff (MTS). They were leaking official documents to certain unofficial persons for money,” Delhi Police Chief B S Bassi told media-persons.

The five persons were arrested after setting a trap at the petroleum ministry offices in the Shastri Bhawan which houses the petroleum ministry. The accused used to enter the ministry using false papers and steal documents to sell them, Bassi said.

He also added the police would now study the nature of the documents that were leaked to understand if the provisions of the Official Secrets Act can be slapped on the persons. The detained men were being questioned.

Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the government had put surveillance on the persons. “We had put surveillance on them, the police is also investigating. They (suspects) will be severely dealt with. This is unfortunate for free and fair governance,” he said. Pradhan also told a news channel he would not allow espionage in his ministry and strict action will be taken against those involved.