The alleged leak of former army chief Manoj Naravane’s unpublished memoir points to the “foreign hand” and could be part of a “global conspiracy” to circumvent defence ministry clearance, sources in Delhi police said.

The book, Four Stars of Destiny, purportedly portrays the government’s top leadership as indecisive in the face of a Chinese advance in Ladakh in 2020. Its release was held up allegedly because the government withheld approval.

“Preliminary findings suggest the manuscript was circulated and sold in global digital markets including the US, Canada, UK and Australia,” a police official said.

“Apparently, the book was also published in foreign countries and was available for sale on some online platforms bypassing the mandatory clearance from India’s defence ministry.”

He added: “The leak points to some foreign hands that could be part of a global conspiracy to circumvent defence ministry clearance. It seems to be a planned and coordinated operation.”

A controversy broke out recently over the book after Rahul Gandhi cited it in Parliament only to be prevented from speaking about an “unpublished” work.

The issue escalated after Rahul brandished a purported copy of the memoir, prompting the police to file an FIR last week alleging unauthorised circulation.

On Wednesday, the police sent a notice to the publisher, Penguin Random House India, asking it to join the probe and added the charge of criminal conspiracy to the case. A police team on Thursday visited the publisher’s office as part of the investigation. The police also questioned Penguin India representatives.

“The leaked manuscript appeared to have been prepared by Penguin Random House India Pvt Ltd. Besides, some online marketing platforms were displaying the finished book cover, suggesting the book was available for purchase,” the police official said.

He said the earliest among the “leaked files” had been traced to websites using .io domain extensions linked to the British Indian Ocean Territory.

“We are also examining the source of the PDF, the circumstances under which it was uploaded or circulated, and whether any laws relating to publication, or copyright, were violated,” the police official said.

“We will soon question the publisher about its origin and distribution trail. The investigators are also examining international digital footprints, financial transactions and (any) collaborators abroad to get to the bottom of the conspiracy.”

After being prevented from speaking on the book in Parliament, Rahul had cited “excerpts” before reporters. These suggested the top political leadership in Delhi had failed to give clear directions to Naravane, then the army chief, while Chinese tanks were advancing on Indian territory in August 2020.

A day later, Rahul had carried a hardbound copy of the purported book inside the Parliament complex and challenged the government’s claim that the book “does not exist”. He said he wanted to give the copy to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Amid the controversy, the publisher claimed on Monday that Naravane’s memoir “had not gone into publication” and that it held exclusive publishing rights for the book.

Rahul countered this on Tuesday, citing a December 2023 social media post by Naravane that said his book was “available now”.

Sources said investigators were also probing why the publisher had issued a public statement on X only after the FIR had been registered, and not immediately on learning of the alleged leak.