Arms firms come under CBI scanner

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing to determine the end -users of military secrets obtained from the three forces by arms agents and other shadowy figures in the sensational War Room leak. From available indications, the major beneficiaries are global arms manufacturers who are vying for contracts with the Indian military.

DNA had blown the cover off the case on July 30 last year. At last count, nine navy officers, two army officers, one air force officer, three defence ministry bureaucrats and several middlemen are believed to have been involved in leaking military secrets.

Sources said there remain several loose ends in the investigation into the well-oiled machinery that had been at work in the Capital to secure classified information from the military. Most of the data collected was on commercial deals, but it is yet not clear if any foreign agencies have obtained national secrets.

What is clear now is that middlemen such as Abhishek Verma, Ravi Shankaran and Kulbushan Parashar were sourcing information from a wide network of military officers. During its investigations, the CBI stumbled upon a much wider network than anticipated. The beneficiaries of the leaks would be major arms firms. Sources say the middlemen may not have been just “sourcing” information, but also trying to influence the qualitative parameters for equipment to be purchased.