KOCHI: It was the single imprint traced from the Cochin Shipyard that helped the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to crack the case related to the theft of computer hardware of India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC). NIA officials believe the theft was well planned and executed by two arrested persons Sumit Kumar Singh of Bihar and Daya Ram of Rajasthan.
According to sources, only one credible imprint – that of the bottom portion of the palm- was received from the place where the theft took place. “The accused might have worn gloves to leave no trace of fingerprints. But somehow, the imprint of the bottom portion of the palm was traced. As both were confident that there was no fingerprint, they came to Kochi early this year to give their fingerprint imprint as part of the investigation.
It was the fingerprint analysis that helped to crack the case,” sources said. Fingerprints of as many as 6,400 persons were collected. “After the imprint of Sumit Kumar was found matching, NIA recorded his statement and he confessed about the involvement of the second accused. Reaching the first accused was a difficult task as he stayed in a Maoist-affected village in Bihar,” sources said.
Of the 20 lost hardware including five micro-processors, 10 RAMs and five solid state drives (SSD), almost all were recovered. The stolen components were hidden at the residence of Sumit Kumar’s brother in Gujarat. One component was sold via OLX for Rs 5,000 when the accused were staying in Kochi.
The investigation team are also checking the involvement of more persons in the case. “They were employed as painters in the IAC. First accused had good knowledge of computer hardware. But it might be with the help of someone else that the accused persons came to know about such a system in IAC. We have to interrogate them to get further details for which their custody will be sought,” sources said.
Covid test to be crucial
An anti-body test result will be crucial for the NIA because if the test turns positive, the investigation will take a hit. According to sources, the case was registered under various sections of IPC and IT Act. “We have to seek custody of the accused within the first 14 days of the remand period,” sources said.