IPS officer Rashmi Shukla summoned by police in phone tapping case

Mumbai cyber police have summoned Rashmi Shukla, a senior Indian Police Service officer of the Maharashtra cadre, in connection with an illegal phone tapping and confidential report leak matter.

Shukla, who is presently on a central deputation and posted in Hyderabad, has been asked to appear before the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Cyber) Nitin Jadhav on Wednesday to record her statement.

On March 26, the cyber police station had registered a case on the complaint of the State Intelligence Department (SID) against unknown persons for leaking a report submitted by Shukla in August 2020, then Commissioner of Intelligence, over purported payments for transfers within the police department.

The complaint stated that some unknown person had obtained the classified report and information from the department, following which the police registered a First Information Report under Section 30 (fraudulently retaining a message delivered by mistake) of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, Sections 44(b) (failure to furnish information in time) and 66 (computer-related offence) of the Information Technology Act, 2008 and Section 5 (wrongful communication of information) of the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

The case was registered on a complaint filed by the State Intelligence Department last month. Sources said that some others including senior officers and politicians too may be asked to join the probe if the need arises.