'Planned and coordinated' leak: Delhi Police's probe on ex-army chief Naravane's 'unapproved' book

The controversy surrounding former Army Chief M. M. Naravane’s memoir Four Stars of Destiny has widened into an international investigation, with the Delhi Police Special Cell probing how the book allegedly entered global markets before securing mandatory clearance from the Defence Ministry.

According to sources, early findings indicate the leak was not a routine case of digital piracy but a “planned and coordinated operation” that sidestepped established approval procedures governing defence-related publications.

An FIR has been filed under criminal conspiracy charges. Investigators are tracing digital activity and financial transactions across the United States, Canada, Germany and Australia, countries where the book was reportedly available online ahead of official clearance.

Global circulation before approval

Police have found that the leaked edition was first made accessible through international online platforms. Sales listings were identified on websites operating in the US, Canada, Australia and Germany.

Sources said the earliest upload was traced to a website using the “.io” domain extension, a country code top-level domain originally assigned to the British Indian Ocean Territory and commonly adopted by technology platforms and startups. The material was later replicated across multiple hosting platforms, broadening its digital footprint.

ISBN trail raises questions

Investigators are also examining the presence of an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) in the leaked version. The 13-digit ISBN, a mandatory identifier for commercial publication and distribution, suggests the text had moved beyond draft form into a publication-ready stage.

Officials said the ISBN indicates that the version in circulation was processed for formal publishing rather than being an unapproved manuscript.

Penguin Random House India, the publisher, is being questioned regarding the ISBN registration and distribution process.

An ISBN is a globally recognised identifier assigned to each edition and format of a book, enabling cataloguing and sales. Separate ISBNs are issued for different formats such as hardback and e-book versions.

When reporters from India Today and Aaj Tak reviewed online retail platforms in the US, Canada, Australia and Germany, they found that the ISBN numbers listed matched Penguin India’s edition of Four Stars of Destiny.

Organised breach suspected

Police sources said the pattern of uploads, international listings and ISBN-linked distribution suggests an organised breach rather than isolated online piracy.

“The investigation is examining who facilitated the global circulation of the book before official clearance and whether there was any coordinated effort to push it into foreign markets,” a source said.

The inquiry has now expanded to include examination of overseas digital trails, financial flows and possible collaborators outside India.

The Defence Ministry has not issued a public statement on the matter so far.