New Delhi: In a major catch just four days before the Budget Session, the Delhi police on Thursday kicked up a storm, announcing the arrest of five persons, two serving as multi-tasking staff (MTS) at Shastri Bhavan, for stealing secret papers from the petroleum ministry’s offices and selling them to independent private energy consultancy firms and those belonging to the petrochem and energy industry.

Three of those arrested were identified as Lalta Prasad, 36, Rakesh Kumar, 30, and Raj Kumar Chaubey, 39. Lalta and Rakesh who are brothers and were temporarily employed as MTS employees earlier at Shastri Bhavan, while Raj is a driver. Joint commissioner of police (crime branch) Ravindra Yadav said the other two, Asharam, 58, and Ishwar Singh, 56 are serving MTS employees and assisted the other three.

Two energy consultants, recipients of the documents, and a journalist are believed to be among the 25 people detained for interrogation in the investigation of the documents that were leaked from the oil ministry. There are unconfirmed reports that the recipients belonged to top corporate houses. Raids at several locations were on till late Thursday.

Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said leakage of such important documents was rampant under previous governments, adding the Narendra Modi government will not allow such acts, and had installed CCTV cameras to curb such practices. Asked whether any corporate lobbyist could be involved, the Petroleum Minister said it was up to the police to investigate.

Briefing the media on Thursday, the Delhi Police Commissioner B. S. Bassi on Thursday said, “We had received information that government secret documents from the oil ministry office in Shastri Bhawan are being stolen, photocopied and handed over to private persons by temporary multitasking staff (MTS) officials deputed at Shastri Bhawan,” adding, “We laid a trap on February 17 and arrested three of the staff members from whom documents which should not have been in their possession were recovered.

“We identified two recipients who will be questioned.” An FIR under IPC sections 457, 380, 488, 471 and 120 B, trespass, theft and forgery has been registered. On companies who sought these documents, Mr Bassi added, “The investigation is at a preliminary stage and all we can say now is that information was being shared in the field of energy as two independent energy consultants are under scrutiny.”

Explaining the sequence of arrests, Joint CP Yadav said, “There was a tip off that two persons, along with their associates, are involved in stealing the official documents by trespassing into ministry's office and on Tuesday they would intrude in the night,” adding, “Three persons came in a car near Shastri Bhawan. Two persons alighted and went inside while the third remained in the car. After around two hours, two persons came out and entered the car, all three Lalta, Rakesh and Raj were arrested.”