Minister for Energy Resources and Law R. Nirmalkumar File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
As part of the ongoing investigation into the theft of 18 hard disks from the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL) headquarters on Anna Salai in Chennai, the Greater Chennai Police (GCP) have arrested a contract employee and intensified efforts to uncover the larger network behind the incident.
A special team arrested Gopinath, 36, of Arakkonam in Ranipet district on Thursday. He is currently being questioned at a secure location as investigators pursue further leads in the case. The police said Gopinath was employed on contract by a private information technology firm responsible for the annual maintenance of computer systems at the TNPDCL headquarters. During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to removing the hard disks at the behest of certain key suspects.
Meanwhile, Minister for Energy Resources and Law R. Nirmalkumar said instructions had been issued to ensure the safe custody of all files and to take backup copies of data stored in computers. Speaking to journalists at the Secretariat, he said 18 hard disks had been reported missing from the TNPDCL headquarters last month. Later, he said the police had made some arrests in Bengaluru where the hard disks were taken to.
Following a preliminary departmental vigilance inquiry, a complaint was lodged with the police. Investigators said Gopinath had been communicating with the key suspects through online calls and later handed over the devices in exchange for money.
Investigators suspect that individuals linked to contractors and beneficiaries involved in procurement and tender-related activities may have orchestrated the theft.
Police believe the hard disks could have been targeted to obtain sensitive information related to contracts and purchases.
As part of the probe, officers have collected details of contractors and vendors associated with the State electricity utility, and are examining their possible connections with Gopinath and other suspects. Call detail records and digital communication trails are being analysed to establish the chain of events. Two additional suspects are being questioned to determine their involvement and identify others who may have played a role in the theft.
Meanwhile, the GCP have expanded the scope of the investigation and sought assistance from experts in the Cyber Crime Wing.
Cyber forensic specialists have been tasked with examining digital evidence and tracing the movements, communications, and online activities of those suspected to be connected to the case.
Data in transformer procurement case
Mr. Nirmalkumar said all information regarding the alleged scam in transformer procurement had already been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with an ongoing case. He said certain persons had also been placed under suspension in connection with the matter.
He said the process of backing up data related to tenders issued over the past five years, coal contracts, and contract employee-related records stored in computers had commenced. The validation process was expected to be completed within a few days.
Reacting to the incident, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Thursday demanded that the CBI be asked to probe the alleged theft of hard disks. “How should we interpret the disappearance of the data under a regime that claimed itself to be a ‘clean force’?” Mr. Palaniswami asked, in a post on his social media handle. He also asked the government whether it was trying to “shield” a party that it had once derided.
BJP Tamil Nadu unit president Nainar Nagenthran said the alleged theft of the hard disks from the TNPDCL headquarters showed the current regime’s inefficiency.
Former Electricity Minister and DMK Coimbatore South MLA V. Senthilbalaji on Thursday told journalists in Coimbatore that if hard disks had gone missing from the TNPDCL headquarters, then it is the duty of the government and the Minister and the official concerned to take action against the staff involved. “It is a departmental issues. If someone commits a mistake, it is your responsibility to take action,” he told journalists in Coimbatore.
When a journalist contended that Mr. Nirmalkumar had said there was an attempt to intimidate him on the issue, Mr. Senthilbalaji wondered about the state of law and order when a Minister himself was facing intimidation.
Published – June 04, 2026 12:01 pm IST
