New Delhi:
After being under the scanner for allegedly offering the Army Chief a bribe, Lieutenant General (retired) Tejinder Singh could be in for more trouble.
NDTV has learnt that the government is now investigating an unauthorised purchase of five phone-tapping machines by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) in 2010. Lt General Singh was the head of the DIA when the purchases were made. The equipment was allegedly bought violating the guidelines of procurement.
Last year the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), which is under the Prime Minister's Office, had asked the DIA to explain the procurement. Sources have told NDTV that Lieutenant General Singh or his successor at DIA have failed to give a satisfactory explanation to the charges.
The monitoring equipment in question is used to for surveillance on mobile-phone conversations along the Line of Control (LoC) and international borders.
The allegation against Lieutenant General Singh comes after Army Chief General V K Singh accused him of offering a bribe a year and a half ago to influence a defence deal. One of the allegations made was that Tejinder Singh offered a bribe to General Singh on behalf of a company called Tatra and Vectra Limited. That matter is now being investigated by the CBI, which has recorded the Army Chief's statement and quizzed Tejinder Singh.