New Delhi: A Delhi Police special cell on Thursday questioned some members of Penguin Random House India’s publishing team for allegedly leaking the unpublished memoirs of former Army chief (retd) MM Naravane.The interrogation lasted two hours the day after investigators sent notice to the publishing company. Sources said another round of questioning may be held depending on the findings of the first round of meetings.The police have sought the original manuscript of the book “Four Stars of Destiny” from Penguin Random House India and compared it with the version that has surfaced online. Publishers are asked to answer 15 to 20 questions, including what steps they took after learning of the alleged breach.“The team, led by a DCP-rank officer, asked the publishers about their standard operating procedures while handling books and details of people who had come into contact with the manuscript of the book written by the former Army Chief. We also asked the publishers why they did not lodge a complaint immediately after finding out about the alleged leak,” said a person familiar with the matter.Penguin Random House India said it has exclusive publishing rights to the book and it has not released it in any format. The investigation focuses on the alleged sale or distribution of preprints in countries including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Police suspect the leak was co-orchestrated to circumvent Ministry of Defense clearance. The special cell added charges of “conspiracy to commit criminal conspiracy” in the FIR. Police are also analyzing the International Standard Book Number (ISBN).
