A Kerala subinspector of police has been arrested for allegedly sending out a forged letter to the media saying the government wanted 268 e-mail IDs snooped upon, police said on Sunday.
Biju Salim, who was with the High-Tech cell of Kerala police, was first suspended in January and since then investigations were on.
Police sources pointed out that the suspended subinspector was asked to report on Saturday as part of the inquiry. His arrest was recorded late on Saturday night.
Salim will now be produced before a magistrate later in the day on Sunday.
The Oommen Chandy government was left gasping in January when a Malayalam weekly magazine published a letter purportedly sent by a top intelligence official to the High-Tech Cell with the list of e-mail addresses to be probed.
Among the list of e-mail IDs, more than 230 belonged to members from the Muslim community.
It created a huge uproar in the state as many felt that a particular community was being kept under the scanner.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy came under heavy attack and announced a probe into it.
The preliminary probe found the documents which led to the e-mail row were leaked from the High-Tech Cell of Kerala police.
But finally the letter published by the media was found to be fabricated and leaked to the media by Salim.
Police have zeroed in on a few others also and in the coming days expect to crack the foul play.