HYDERABAD: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to investigate the data theft allegations against IT Grid India Pvt Limited got down to work on Thursday, less than 24 hours of its formation.“We will bring to book the culprits involved in the data theft of AP.
We will also investigate if any other company besides IT Grid was involved in the crime,” Inspector General of Police Stephen Ravindra, who is leading the SIT told media persons here on Thursday.He said the SIT would find out who is the ‘key person’ involved in this entire operation.
The charge against the IT company was that after receiving the data of the people of AP, it had leaked it to TDP through Seva Mitra App which they used to find out who are unlikely to vote for TDP in the next Assembly election. He said that the IT Grid was also in illegal possession of data of Telangana people and the beneficiaries of AP government schemes.
3 IT firms involved, says SIT
The key person, who with the help of the harvested data, had the names of such voters deleted from electoral rolls.According to Stephen Ravindra, data of AP people was sensitive in nature and it included details of voters, beneficiaries of welfare schemes of AP government and Aadhar data. The SIT examined the details of the two cases registered at Madhapur and SR Nagar police stations. Three IT companies including IT Grid India Limited, Blue Frog and another one were involved in data collection from AP. Stephen Ravindra said that the IT Grid was also in illegal possession of data of Telangana people and the beneficiaries of Andhra Pradesh government schemes. The data contained voters’ details such as names, place, caste, and profession.
“We have just taken over the case and went through the details. Our investigation will be very transparent. We want to ferret out the truth and bring to book those involved in the crime. We will take the help of cyber crime experts in dealing with the case,” the SIT chief said. The SIT officials have begun tracking the whereabouts of IT Grid CEO D Ashok, who is still at large. Replying to a query, Stephen Ravindra said that they would arrest Ashok wherever he is. “We will find out from how he obtained data, from whom and why,” he said.