Former Telecom Minister A Raja was today sent to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) remand for three more days by a Delhi court, which also extended the custody of Swan telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa for four days in the 2G spectrum case. CBI said it wanted to confront them on the alleged money trail.
“Considering the enormity of crime, complex and complicated nature of the investigation, voluminous documents involved in the case, I find that the prayer for further custodial interrogation of the accused persons is justified,” Special CBI judge O P Saini said. During the hearing on its plea for extension of the remand for Raja and Balwa, CBI said the duo needed to be confronted with some more documents recovered by the investigating agency.
“They (Raja and Balwa) are further required to be put under sustained custodial interrogation and confronted with each other on the trail of money as well as with other suspects and witnesses, so that real facts and elements of criminal conspiracy, including omission and commission committed in this case, can be unearthed and taken to light,” CBI said in its remand application.
The agency initially had sought only two days’ custody for Raja, but the court remanded him in the agency’s custody for three more days after the former minister’s counsel pointed out to the judge that it would be a national holiday on account of Milad-un-Nabi on February 16.
