BHOPAL: CERT-In team is arriving here on Monday to clear its stand on denying having any pending report or data in connection with the e-tendering scam.
Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) assertion had left the EOW authorities in a fix as the agency has been eagerly waiting for the report in six cases for around a year. The EOW, investigating multi crore e-tender scam, till date has registered nine cases and charge sheet in three were filed in the court. For remaining six cases, the EOW is waiting for report from (CERT-In)-for over a year. However, the CERT-In claim that it has handed over all reports and has no pending data prompted the EOW director general Sushovan Banerjee to rush to CERT-In headquarter in Delhi to clear the matter.
The CERT-In team was to arrive in Bhopal on Thursday to clear the issue, however, their visit has been now postponed to Monday. The rescheduling of their visit too raised many eyebrows. Talking to Free Press, Banerjee confirmed that CERT-In team will now be coming on Monday. Even if the CERT-In claims that it doesn’t has any data, the EOW which has the master copy of the server can hand over the required details again. The team arriving on Monday can make another copies and deliver the desired report.
EOW waiting for reports for over a year
In 2018 November- December, a team of CERT-In had taken the forensic images of the server,
Sources privy to agency informed. The images were stored in 9-10 hard disks which were purchased from the market here. The first report was given to the EOW in February 2019, and on the basis of it the agency had registered three cases. Later, the team again returned to Bhopal and took more images of the servers and other digital gadgets for the screening in connection with six cases.
Now almost a year has passed but the CERT-In team is yet to submit any report. When the EOW asked them about the pending reports the CERT-In claimed that all findings were submitted and they do not any other report to submit. Interestingly, for around a year, the EOW had been writing and sending reminders to CERT-In office regarding the pending report, however, the latter never replied stating that they have no pending report with them.
Are things being managed?
The e-tender scam involves large-scale manipulation of the online procurement platform of government to allegedly favour a select few private companies. Many big politicians, bureaucrats and other influential people are alleged to have played a key role in the multi-crore scam. As the investigation into the scam is underway, the allegations of powerful people trying to manage the things are coming to fore. The claim of the CERT-in denying having any data and then the rescheduling of their visit to city has raised many eyebrows
