CHENNAI: An engineer, working for a contractor involved in the construction of the fast breeder reactor at the atomic power station located at Kalpakkam , was arrested after he was found moving suspiciously on the premises on Wednesday.

M Shaffir Ali, who has been working in the structural engineering section for the past four years, was caught by Central Industrial Security Force ( CISF ) personnel when he tried to escape, upon being noticed. CISF personnel examined his belongings and found four pen drives and a card reader.

The CISF informed Kalpakkam police about the suspicious movement of Ali, 28, on the campus.

The police found in his possession, more than 400 photographs, which included photos of the reactor under construction and the protected areas on the campus. As he didn't have any proper explanation for possessing the photographs, the police arrested him.

Officials of the Intelligence Bureau , Research and Analysis Wing, state internal security and state intelligence, questioned him separately. Inquiries revealed that he was married and settled with his family in Cheyyur near Chengalpattu. His father, Maqbul, is a farm labourer.

Ali, who holds a diploma in mechanical engineering, has been employed as the structural engineer and enrolled with Code Engineering Company Limited, which is the authorized contractor to install the reactor at Kalpakkam.

Kalpakkam police registered a case under Section 406 (criminal breach of trust), 426 (punishment for mischief) and 66 (hacking into the computer and stealing data) of the Information Technology Act.

The police are planning to book him under the provisions of the Atomic Energy Act , which has been amended recently.