Police zero in on mastermind of phone tapping

Kumar was approached by a person, who identified himself as a police officer, at the rented second-floor office of his Metro Intelligence in South Extension in October. The man had two letters with him. One purportedly written by Delhi Joint CP (Crime) Ranjit Narayan on October 22 to Principal Secretary (Home) R Narayan Swamy asking for permission to tap Amar Singh’s phone. The other, the permission granted by Swamy. ‘‘Both letters were forged—the despatch number of the first one is the same as that of a commendation written for an official by Joint CP Narayan and the despatch number of the second is that of a letter written by Swamy dismissing some corrupt Tihar jail officials,’’ say Special Cell officers.

Investigators say that Kumar was offered a huge sum to carry out the tapping operation. Kumar forwarded both the letters to Reliance Infocomm, seeking access to telephone number 011-39565414. Believing this to be an official request, the telecom company, through a programme in their system, gave a parallel line from 011-39565414 to Bhupendra’s mobile phone number (9811358986), say Special Cell sources. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav on Friday had alleged that this mobile number belonged to Joint CP Narayan.

The tapping went on for almost two-and-a-half months, till an alert Reliance official realised that the number under surveillance was installed at the Lodhi Estate residence of Amar Singh. He passed on the information to his superiors. The news reached Mulayam Singh Yadav who sent an SOS to Delhi Police Commissioner K K Paul and Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who did not have any information about the tapping. ‘‘The CM, who obtained the two letters as well, then went to the media, saying the Delhi Police had tapped Amar Singh’s phone under the Centre’s instructions,’’ say investigators.

When the news channels began flashing Mulayam Singh Yadav’s press conference, no one—Kumar or his four employees—turned up for work at the detective agency’s South Extension office.

‘‘Bhupendra has been running this office here for two years now. He said he worked for banks as a recovery agent and paid me Rs 12,000 as monthly rent. I never suspected anything,’’ says the landlord, Babu Ram, a retired income tax advocate.

Ram says the office has been locked since Friday when the news came out. Sources say the police arrested him the same night from his residence in Alipur’s Hirnakis area.