The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today searched Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi’s official and residential premises in Delhi, Mumbai and Pune.
The CBI took away several important documents and hard drives during the raids that started at 7 am. The houses of Kalmadi’s brother Mukesh in Mumbai and his private secretary, Manoj Bhure were also searched.
Sleuths also quizzed Kalmadi’s personal secretary Shekhar at the CBI headquarters in Delhi. The probe agency accessed the documents at the Organising Committee’s office with the help of another Kalmadi aide, P K Srivastava.
Reacting to the raids, Kalmadi told reporters he was “innocent till proven guilty”. He went on to add: “I have not taken any decision alone. All decisions have been taken by the executive board.”
Places that were searched by CBI include Kalmadi’s house in Bheema building in Worli, his office in Lower Parel in central Mumbai and a farm house at Khadakwasla.
The agency had filed three cases in connection with the alleged irregularities in CWG and searched houses of OC Director General V K Verma and Secretary General Lalit Bhanot on November 30. While one case was related to a Rs 107-crore deal with a Swiss time-keeping firm, the other two were registered in connection with the contract awarded to AM Films for the Baton Relay ceremony in London.
CBI sources said that certain important documents related to budget allocations and tendering of Commonwealth Games projects were missing. Kalmadi, however, said all the documents were handed over to various investigative agencies and he would help in tracing files if they were missing.
CBI had earlier arrested T S Darbari, joint director general, and Sanjay Mahendroo, deputy director general.
