ISRO breach case: Police still clueless about motive

It has been 20 days since an embarrassing security breach rocked the Indian Space Research Organisation. Buela Sam had, with the help of fake identification cards, entered into ISRO and was apprehended inside the premises.

20 days on and the police have not been able to find out the motive behind the incident. Moreover, the initial claim by the police that the accused woman was mentally ill has also not been ascertained by the doctors.

Buela Sam's confession statement, a copy of which is in Rediff.com's possession, does not speak about the motive. She claims that she had got the identification card from a photo studio in Punaloor town in Kollam district of Kerala. But the police verification reveals that she had merely got the card laminated at Jana Studio on Punaloor while she got the fake ID card made in Ahmedabad.

Buela Sam says after attending the funeral of her father she was waiting at Punaloor to take a bus back to her home town Ahmedabad. "Out there I met with my friend Antony Thomas who told me to go to ISRO instead and apply for a job. He said ISRO is hiring pharmacy graduates. Thomas wanted me to attend a meeting at ISRO scheduled on September 19 to discuss with the officials about my job prospects," she says in the confession statement.

The police investigation reveals that a person by name Sreeni had helped her with the identification cards. Thomas, on the other hand, was an unemployed youth.

While the police investigation reveals that her card was made at Kerala, the accused however stated that it was made at Ahmedabad. "I got the card made while working with a pharmacy in Ahmedabad. I was helped by a person called Natraj," she confesses.

Both the Intelligence Bureau and the police who have questioned her say that she is a tough nut to crack. She appears to be a professional while dodging questions. Her replies are inconsistent in nature. "She led us to believe that she was mentally ill. However none of the medical reports would suggest the same and we are awaiting further reports," an official closely linked to the investigation says.

"Moreover she says that the identification card was made nine months back. This would indicate that her actions were not on the spur of the moment and it was pre planned," the official adds.

The police also say that there are multiple angles that are being probed. There was a doubt whether she was involved with someone in ISRO and was trying to meet him. "However, that could be ruled out for now since the manner in which she tried getting into ISRO does not justify the boyfriend angle. We are also looking to see if she was linked with some other agencies," the official adds.