FBI retrieved data from Sippy’s iPhone for CBI

Amit Sharma

Chandigarh, June 17

It was the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that provided assistance to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by retrieving data from slain national-level shooter and advocate Sukhmanpreet Singh Sidhu, aka Sippy Sidhu’s iPhone 5. The FBI provided 56.1 GB data to the CBI, which included WhatsApp messages, emails and SMSes exchanged between Sippy and accused Kalyani Singh, besides other large incriminating data.

Retrieved data was first sent to MHA

• On November 11, 2018, the Digital Forensics and Analysis section of the FBI, through the US Department of Justice, sent the retrieved data to the MHA, which was further forwarded to the CBI on November 27, 2018.
• The data received was further sent to the CFSL, Chandigarh, by the CBI to obtain a copy of the same for the purpose of investigation, which was provided to the CBI on January 10, 2019.

The CBI probe revealed that the UT police had recovered an iPhone 5 from the victim at the murder spot on September 20. The mobile remained in the possession of the then SHO of the Sector 26 police station, Inspector Poonam Dilawari, who also attended calls received on the mobile phone at the spot.

The mobile phone was disabled due to wrong attempts made to open the phone, which was password protected.

The police had later sent the mobile phone to the Directorate of Forensic Science (DFS), Gandhinagar, to get the data of the phone retrieved. However, the phone could not be opened.

Thereafter the CBI, during the investigation, made a request to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India, to get the Letters Rogatory (formal request from a court to a foreign court for some type of judicial assistance) issued to send the mobile phone to the Department of Justice of the USA.

The Letters Rogatory was got issued from the Court of the Special Judicial Magistrate, Chandigarh, on December 12, 2017. Thereafter, the CBI request was forwarded to the US Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Washington DC.

On November 11, 2018, the Digital Forensics and Analysis section of the FBI, through the US Department of Justice, sent the retrieved data to the MHA, which was further forwarded to the CBI on November 27, 2018.

The data received was further sent to the CFSL, Chandigarh, to obtain a copy of the same for the purpose of investigation, which was provided to the CBI on January 10, 2019.

The data, in the shape of call logs, chats, including Facebook and WhatsApp messages, emails, device notifications, MMSes, SMSes, audios, videos, images and documents was retrieved. Objectionable pictures that led to a sour relationship between Sippy and Kalyani were also recovered.

The CBI investigation further revealed that another iPhone 4S and a laptop of Sippy was taken by the police from his house. The data of both devices was retrieved by the DFS, Gandhinagar, and the CFSL Chandigarh.

The CBI scrutinised the data retrieved from both devices, which corroborated certain data retrieved from Sippy’s iPhone 5.

Objectionable pictures recovered

The data, in the shape of call logs, chats, including Facebook and WhatsApp messages, emails, device notifications, MMSes, SMSes, audios, videos, images and documents, was sent by the FBI. Objectionable pictures that led to a sour relationship between Sippy and Kalyani were also retrieved.