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A contract employee working at the headquarters of the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL) was arrested on Thursday, June 4, in connection with the theft of hard disks containing sensitive official data.
According to reports, the Greater Chennai Police (GCP) arrested Gopinath (36) from Arakkonam in Ranipet district. He was employed by a private information technology firm responsible for maintaining computer systems at the TNPDCL headquarters on Anna Salai.
Gopinath is being questioned at a secure location and has allegedly confessed to removing the hard disks on the instructions of certain key suspects.
According to authorities, the accused handed over the devices in exchange for money after communicating with the suspects through online calls. Officials suspect the involvement of a larger network linked to procurement and tender-related activities.
The arrest comes amid an ongoing probe into the disappearance of 18 hard disks from the power distribution headquarters.
The theft was reported last month following a preliminary departmental vigilance inquiry, after which a formal police complaint was filed.
Investigators suspect that the hard disks were targeted because of the sensitive information they contained, particularly records related to tenders, procurement and other official transactions.
As part of the investigation, officers have collected details of contractors and vendors associated with the state power utility and are scrutinising possible links between them, Gopinath and other suspects.
Call records and digital communication trails are also being analysed to establish the sequence of events.
Two more individuals are currently being questioned, while cyber forensic experts have been brought in to assist with the investigation.
The Cyber Crime Wing has been tasked with examining digital evidence and tracing the movements and communications of those suspected to be connected to the case.
Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat, Electricity Minister C T R Nirmal Kumar said the department had initiated steps to secure official records and create backups of important digital data.
He said efforts were underway to preserve information related to tenders issued over the past five years, coal procurement contracts and records concerning contract employees.
The Minister also said that information relating to the alleged transformer procurement irregularities had already been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as part of an ongoing inquiry.
He added that certain officials had been suspended in connection with the matter.
Nirmal Kumar said the government was examining whether the hard disk theft could be linked to recent disciplinary action taken against some officials.
However, he said the motive behind the theft and the identities of those responsible would become clear only after the investigation was completed.
Reacting to the incident, former Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji said it was the responsibility of the government and departmental authorities to take action against those involved if hard disks had indeed gone missing from the headquarters.