Can’t decode data, experts called in: Cops

Unable to break into encrypted data seized while probing attempts to illegally obtain mobile phone call detail records of BJP leader Arun Jaitley, and possibly others, the police have sought technical help from abroad. This has been conveyed by the police special cell to a city court where three of the four men arrested in the case appeared on Monday.

The police described the Jaitley CDR case as "complicated" and have sent to forensics an estimated 500 GB of data. They sought custody of private detectives Anurag Singh, Neeraj Nayar and Nitesh Singh for three more days — constable Arvind Dabas, the fourth accused, is already in judicial custody.

A police officer said two laptops were seized from Anurag's office. The stored data, the officer said, were linked to password-protected mobile phones and police needed his presence for the decoding.

"We tried to break into the system but it is so well secured that we have called technical experts from abroad who will sit with the accused and decode the encrypted data," the officer said, adding that a businessman is also expected to be called in for questioning.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vidya Prakash extended the police custody of Anurag by one day, noting that he was allegedly one of the main conspirators in the case.

"Request for grant of his further police custody remand is considered to be justified so as to enable the investigating agency to get the entire encrypted data analysed with the assistance of technical expert," the court said, adding that his interrogation was required to "unearth the entire conspiracy".

Anurag's lawyer Rahul Mishra argued that though the accused had already given all data and passwords to the police, they had not made any significant recovery in the last seven days.

... contd.

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