No breakthrough yet in INS Vikrant theft probe

Even as the investigation agencies were yet to make a breakthrough in the probe into the theft of computer hard disks from INS Vikrant aircraft carrier at Cochin Shipyard in Kochi, it came to light on Friday that the stolen hard disks contained certain vital information regarding the naval ship which is about to be commissioned in two years time.

According to police sources, details like the layout of the ship and other technical details were contained in the stolen hard disks. Some details were also said to be in encrypted form. No vital information regarding the Navy's operations were loaded in the computers.

Kochi City Police Commissioner IG Vijay Sakhare was learned to have said in a report given to the State Police Chief Loknath Behera that the incident involved serious security breach on the part of the shipyard officials. Central agencies were also looking into the matter owing to its seriousness.

The police special team probing the incident is mainly quizzing Cochin Shipyard workers as the chances of any outsiders entering the CISF-guarded premises were remote. Apart from the regular employees of the shipyard, certain contract workers recruited through a private agency were also working at the shipyard.

Components of five computers, including four hard hard disks and RAM, were reported stolen from the country's first indigenous aircraft carrier which is in advanced stages of commissioning.