The National Investigation Agency (NIA), probing the case of an Army Major posted in Andaman and Nicobar Islands allegedly transmitting sensitive information to a Pakistani intelligence agency, has found that some “professional’’ help had been sought to erase some of the files even when the computer was in the custody of investigating authorities. A security official said that it may be difficult to retrieve such information which was deleted with “professional’ help after the computer was seized by the investigating agencies. Central security agencies have found about 2,500 defence presentations on a “compromised” computer of the Army Major.
“What is most disturbing was the fact that even when the computer was kept in the custody of authorities some files were deleted,” a source said. The sources said that such information which was deleted later on may have been more sensitive that the earlier information which mostly contained defence presentations, deployment procedures in critical situations pertaining to various sensitive locations in the country including Jammu and Kashmir.
Official sources said the seized computer has been sent for forensic analysis to the central laboratory in Hyderabad. The security agencies including the National Investigation Agency are also looking into the possible role of others in the case as the Major could not have had access to most of the files himself, they said.
“The officer could not have had access to all the defence files. We are looking into who all might have given him the files which could also have been in good faith,” the sources said.
The Major had come under the scanner after it was found that his “personal” computer carrying a number of defence files was being used to transmit information to a computer in Pakistan.