NSE phone tapping: CBI files charge sheet against Chitra Ramkrishna

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday filed a charge sheet against former National Stock Exchange (NSE) MD Chitra Ramkrishna and ex-Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey in connection with a case pertaining to phone tapping of NSE employees between 2009 and 2017.

The CBI had registered the case in July against iSec Services Pvt Ltd owned by Pandey and others.

During the course of investigation of another case related to Co-location scam in NSE, an act of illegal interception of landline phones of NSE employees was unearthed.

“Unauthorised recording and monitoring of personal calls in NSE started in 1997 when then MD & then DMD/MD of NSE connected call lines of NSE employees to a Digital Voice Recorder provided by a private company. During 1997-2009 then DMD with the help of NSE employees allegedly supervised the interception,” the CBI has said.

During 2009, the work for monitoring of calls was given to iSec Securities Pvt Ltd. In order to maintain secrecy, the work order was allegedly issued to private firm in the name of conducting periodic study of cyber vulnerabilities.

During 2012, iSec Securities purchased and installed four X PRI Quad Span Digital Voice Logger at the basement of NSE by splitting the Primary Rate Interface (PRI) lines of MTNL. This logger was capable of recording 120 calls simultaneously.

The employees of iSec Securities were given unauthorised access to NSE premises in a manner to listen to these calls and submit weekly reports to NSE officials- then Executive Vice President and then Head (Premises).

The reports in turn were being shown on regular basis to then MD and then DMD/MD of NSE. The work order of said private company was renewed every year from 2009-2017.

It was learnt that Pandey working as police officer was allegedly managing the affairs of said company.

The NSE ended up paying Rs 4.54 crore in eight years to said private company for carrying out such illegal interception of NSE employees in the name of cyber vulnerability study.

The call records of hundreds of NSE employees were allegedly kept in the custody of said private company and the entire interception was done without the knowledge or consent of NSE board and NSE employees.