The Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) hard disk theft case, involving the disappearance of 34 computer hard disks from the board’s headquarters in Chennai, has been handed over to the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CBCID) for a thorough investigation. The missing hard disks led to allegations of a potential conspiracy to destroy crucial data, prompting demands for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry by various political figures.
Following directions from Chennai Police Commissioner A. Amalraj, the Chintadripet police initiated an investigation and arrested Gopinath, a TNEB computer supervisor, for stealing and selling the hard disks to a Bengaluru-based computer company. A special police team retrieved all the missing hard disks from Bengaluru after Gopinath’s arrest.
Gopinath, who joined TNEB headquarters as a computer supervisor a year ago, was presented before the Egmore Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Chennai and remanded to judicial custody until June 19. Police are considering seeking his custody again for further questioning as the inquiry progresses.
In a significant development, Murali Manohar, the president of the Bengaluru computer company that purchased the stolen hard disks, has also been arrested and is under investigation. The case has been transferred to the CBCID by the Tamil Nadu government, following a recommendation from Chennai Police to the Director General of Police (DGP), to ascertain the extent of the theft and whether it was linked to tampering with sensitive data.
Opposition parties continue to press for a comprehensive investigation into the incident, urging authorities to determine if any official records were compromised and if more individuals were involved in the theft and sale of the hard disks.
