Petrogate:Corporate exec. Paid handsome amount for stolen docs

Image
Press Trust of India New Delhi
Last Updated : Apr 20 2015 | 7:22 PM IST
A "handsome monthly amount" was paid by the arrested corporate executives to those "hired" for obtaining the "stolen documents" from Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), Delhi Police said in its charge sheet submitted to a court here in the documents leak case.
The money to the tune of Rs 2.5 lakh per month was being paid to the two accused, Lalta Prasad and Rakesh Kumar, who were first to be arrested outside the Shastri Bhavan, it said.
Shailesh Saxena from RIL, Vinay Kumar from Essar, K K Naik from Cairns India, Subhash Chandra from Jubilant Energy and Rishi Anand from Reliance ADAG, energy consultant Prayas Jain and journalist Shantanu Saikia used to pay the amount to them, the charge sheet said.
"On sustained interrogation, they all admitted that they had hired the services of Rakesh Kumar and Lalta Prasad for obtaining the stolen documents of MoPNG for their business gains," it said.
The Crime Branch of Delhi Police also did not rule out the possibility of slapping the charges under the Officials Secret Act (OSA) saying that reports pertaining to all the documents have not been received yet from the MoPNG and they have sought further clarifications from the ministry about it.
"The reports received on April 10, April 15 and April 16, 2015 from MoPNG have been analyzed and it has been observed that reports pertaining to all the documents have not been received.
"Further, it has also not been specified as to the documents marked as secret/confidential are covered under OSA or nor. Further clarification in this regard is being sought from MoPNG," police said in its charge sheet filed against 13 arrested accused.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjay Khanagwal today took cognizance of the charge sheet and fixed the matter for further hearing on May 18.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Apr 20 2015 | 7:22 PM IST

Next Story