New Delhi: delhi policeAn initial investigation into the leak of a preprint of former Army Chief General MM Naravane’s (retd) unpublished memoir “Four Stars of Destiny” revealed that it was not the work of a suspicious whistleblower but a coordinated move to circumvent defense ministry clearance, an official said on Wednesday.The task force has since widened the scope of its investigation, adding charges of “conspiracy to commit criminal conspiracy” to the FIR and issued a notice to Indian publisher Penguin Random House, asking the company to answer a series of questions.The investigation focuses on the alleged sale or distribution of preprints in countries including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. “The first leaks were allegedly uploaded to the British Indian Ocean Territory’s .io domain extension. They have since found their way into several other hosting platforms,” one investigator said.Police are analyzing the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) – the 13-digit identifier visible on the leaked version – and plan to question the publisher about it.“The publishers will also be asked why their statement onPolice said a PDF version of the book, purportedly produced by Penguin Random House India, is available on some websites and some online marketing platforms show the completed book cover as if it is ready for ordering. Penguin Random House India clarified that it has the exclusive publishing rights of the book but is yet to release it in any form.
