Firm supplying drone to defence forces claims data theft; K'taka HC orders probe

Bengaluru, April 28 (IANS) The Karnataka High Court bench headed by Justice M. Nagaprasanna has ordered a probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the charge of data theft and cyber-espionage made by the Newspace Research and Technologies Private Limited.

The bench passed the order constituting the SIT while considering the petition in this regard by the private firm. The bench further noted while passing the order that the charges alleged is connected to the national defence and military technology.

The bench has constituted a three-member SIT team. Pranab Mohanty, senior IPS officer, who heads the Cyber Command Unit and also heads Cyber Crime and Narcotics Division in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), will head the SIT which also includes and IPS officers Bhushan Gulab Rao Borase and Nisha James.

The bench has asked the SIT to complete the probe within three months and submit the report.

The firm is involved in manufacturing of drones for the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. It also manufactures for the organisations such as the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and other important agencies.

The firm submitted that some of the former employees of the company have stolen the data such as sourced codes, designs and defence technologies of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UVA) and used it to benefit another company.

The firm in the petition claimed that even as the police complaint was registered and despite judicial orders, the probe has not progressed.

The bench after the submission raised concern over cyber crimes and slow investigation. The court has also raised its concern over the lack of skill among the policemen to look into cases involving intricate matters such as data theft and others.

The bench stated that the rate of filing of chargesheet over new age crimes is only 8 per cent. “Not because the accused are not guilty, it is because the investigating officers are not equipped to bring those accused to book. This is due to lack of expertise,” the bench noted.

--IANS

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