Sushilkumar Shinde shielded businessman linked with Dawood Ibrahim: RK Singh

Former home secretary, BJP`s RK Singh alleged that Sushilkumar Shinde interfered in IPL betting scam probe and prevented Delhi Police from questioning a businessman linked with Dawood Ibrahim.

Zee Media Bureau/Hemant Abhishek New Delhi: Heaping serious allegations on Home Minister, former home secretary-turned-BJP-leader RK Singh on Monday alleged that Sushilkumar Shinde had interfered in the probe into betting scam in IPL and prevented Delhi Police from questioning a businessman who had links with India`s most-wanted criminal Dawood Ibrahim. In his interview to TV channels, Singh claimed Delhi Police was stopped by Shinde from questioning a Mumbai-based businessman, who is said to have "some kind of links" with Dawood Ibrahim, in connection with the betting in Indian Premier League, a T-20 cricketing tournament. He used the shoulder of former Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar to fire at Shinde claiming that "slips used to reach Delhi Police chief quite often asking about posting some people as Station House Officers". "These were not a few postings but in large number of police stations," he told the channels. "I don`t know whether money used to exchange hands but Delhi Police Commissioner told me that numerous slips used to come from his residence... You don`t make large number of recommendations... The postings as SHO`s has a vigilance angle to it," he said. Shinde and Kumar were not immediately available for comments. The allegations however came days after Shinde assured that India and the US were making joint efforts to bring Dawood to India. As per Shinde he was given the assurance by the American attorney general, under whom the FBI works. But Singh deflated these claims made by the Home Minister saying the US has offered no help to India as far as bringing the most wanted terrorist back from Pakistan was concerned. "Firstly, if a third country`s intelligence agency is agreeing to help you, you don`t talk about it in public... Secondly FBI has offered no such help...so this statement of bringing back Dawood with the help of FBI is wrong. There is even no assurance from FBI on Dawood, I was present at that conference with (Home Minister Sushilkumar) Shinde... he is lying," Singh said.