The source said the documents looked to have been stolen in 2011 by a former French employee that had been fired while providing training in India on the use of the submarines. (file photo) The source said the documents looked to have been stolen in 2011 by a former French employee that had been fired while providing training in India on the use of the submarines. (file photo)

Documents relating to India’s Scorpene submarines were stolen from French naval contractor DCNS and not leaked, a French government source said on Thursday, adding that the information published so far showed only operational aspects of the submarines.

India and France have opened investigations after The Australian newspaper published on Wednesday documents about its Scorpene submarines being built in India.

“It is not a leak, it is theft,” the source said. “We have not found any DCNS negligence, but we have identified some dishonesty by an individual.”

The source said the documents looked to have been stolen in 2011 by a former French employee that had been fired while providing training in India on the use of the submarines. The documents were not classified and at this stage appeared to only focus on the operational elements of the submarines, the source said.

READ | Scorpene submarine leak: Many hurdles in voyage that began in 1999

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Meanwhile, the Indian Navy on Thursday said that data related to the reported leak of documents of Scorpene submarines has been examined and “do not pose any security compromise” as the vital parameters have been blacked out.

READ | Scorpene submarine data leak: Here’s what we know so far about the case

“The Government of India is seized of the reported leak of documents related to the ongoing Indian Scorpene submarine programme as reported in sections of the media. The documents that have been posted on the website by an Australian news agency have been examined and do not pose any security compromise as the vital parameters have been blacked out,” said a statement released by the Indian Navy.

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