IAS officer Ravi Inder Singh, who was allegedly indulging in corporate espionage by leaking information to telecom companies and seeking sexual favours and money in return, was arrested late Tuesday night. The Delhi police has registered a case against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The officer, sources disclosed, was trying to favour certain telecom companies, allegedly through Mr Vineet Kumar, a businessman who was arrested by the Delhi police special cell from a five-star hotel on Monday evening. The broker is reportedly the owner of a food processing unit.
Some of the mobile phones used by Mr Singh have been recovered from the businessman. The police has also confiscated five mobile phones, pen drives and a laptop used by Mr Singh while his bank balance and other assets are also being investigated. The role of DoT officials may also be probed if needed, sources said.
“This is corporate snooping and a clear violation of conduct rules... but national security has not been compromised,” an official said. Singh used a string of “codenames”, carried five mobile phones and held private meetings outside his North Block office while being careful not to get caught. The MHA had put his phone under surveillance once his moves drew suspicion during internal checks. The businessman had been trying to make “deals” with telecom companies on behalf of Mr Singh for providing security-related information, a home ministry official said.