NEW DELHI: It was set up seven years ago to prevent Kargil-like intrusions and aid other intelligence agencies in gathering and analysing terror inputs. However, in recent times, the National Technical Research Organisation ( NTRO ) has been making news for the wrong reasons.

While the government is already looking into what is being described as a procurement scam in the NTRO, it is now faced with another sordid tale from the agency.

In a closely guarded secret, NTRO had forced one of its officials, a security assistant and former Air Force corporal, to quit in 2007 after he used counterintelligence equipment, including a hidden camera, to bug the bathroom of its security and counter-intelligence director in NTRO headquarters in Delhi.

The official was found guilty of placing a hidden, 'pin-hole' camera in the bathroom and linking it to his office computer. The bathroom, located on the second floor of the building, was used by not just the counterintelligence director Anil Malhotra but several other officials, including women staffers.

The incident came to light in September 2007 after one of the women discovered a file containing compromising pictures on the computer. The official was apparently on leave that day and had not switched off his computer. All hell promptly broke loose in the NTRO headquarters with a female staffer filing a written complaint to the then agency chairman Prasad Rao.

Instead of reporting the matter to the local police, NTRO set up a three-member committee, headed by V K Mittal, who submitted a report to Rao saying the accused official was indeed guilty. Mittal, who has since left the NTRO, had also blown the lid off the alleged procurement scandal which is now being looked into by the PMO.

The committee which investigated the matter also recovered CDs in which the videos had been stored. The committee concluded that the camera remained in the bathroom for over a month but some of the staff alleged that it had actually been there for almost a year. NTRO then sought, and obtained, the official's resignation.

The official, a computer expert and non-gazetted officer, was involved in preparing sensitive identification documents for the organization. TOI tried to contact both current NTRO chairman P V Kumar and Malhotra but they did not get back. Then NTRO senior adviser Anil Chaudhary too refused to comment.

However, Mittal confirmed to TOI, "An internal enquiry conducted by a committee headed by me did establish serious misconduct by the official working in NTRO's security wing. However, I would not like to comment further as it involves the privacy and honour of some innocent individuals."

Interestingly, the matter was hushed up for almost four years before now coming to light. NTRO is already facing what is described as a procurement scandal after a CAG report indicted its management for discrepancies in purchase of equipment.