Finance Minister's office bugged?

New Delhi, June 21: A reported bugging of the offices of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his aides in the North Block has raised the hackles of those in government but an Intelligence Bureau investigation into it had "found nothing in it".

There was no no official word on the on the alleged "security breach" in the offices of the Finance Minister and his aides--Advisor Omita Paul and Private Secretary Manoj Pant--and two conference rooms used by the minister, who had reportedly written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in September last year, except a brief statement by Mukherjee.

Mukherjee is said to have urged the Prime Minister to order a secret inquiry into the "serious breach of security in his office" in the form of "planted adhesives" in 16 locations in a possible surveillance attempt.

No live microphone or recording devices were found, he reportedly said in his letter to the Prim Minister three days after Central Board of Direct Taxes brought in private investigators to conduct an electronic sweep of the Ministry's VVIP chambers.

Confirming a part of the episode, Mukherjee told reporters that the Intelligence Bureau had made investigation into reported bugging in his offices and found "nothing".

"In respect of news item regarding bugging in my offices, the IB investigated into it and found nothing in it," he said without going into any details.

PTI