Chopper deal scam: CBI freezes bank account of ex-IAF chief SP Tyagi

New Delhi: CBI has frozen bank accounts of former Indian Air Force chief SP Tyagi and other Indians named as accused for allegedly receiving kickbacks in the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP helicopter deal.

Agency sources said here today that "certain bank accounts of all the Indian accused" named in the FIR have been frozen by CBI. The bank accounts of Indian companies named in the alleged scam--Aeromatrix Info Solutions Private Limited and IDS Infotech--have already been frozen by the agency, they said. The sources said bank accounts of Tyagi`s cousins-- Sanjeev alias Julie, Rajeev alias Docsa and Sandeep--have also been frozen as part of the investigation. Other Indians named in the FIR whose accounts have been frozen by the agency include former Union Minister Santosh Bagrodia`s brother Satish Bagrodia, who is also Chairman of IDS Infotech, the company`s Managing Director Pratap Aggarwal, Aeromatrix CEO Praveen Bakshi and legal advisor Gautam Khaitan, the sources said. CBI in its FIR has booked all the accused under the provisions of the IPC relating to cheating and criminal conspiracy and the Prevention of Corruption Act. Tyagi is the first chief of the Indian Air Force to be named in a corruption or criminal case by CBI. CBI has alleged that during his tenure as Air Chief, Tyagi and "with his approval" the Air Force "conceded to reduce the service ceiling for VVIP helicopters from 6000 meters to 4500 meters as mandatory to which it was opposing vehemently on the grounds of security constraints and other related reasons". According to the FIR, "Haschke Guido and Gerosa Carlo (middlemen) managed to send Euro 5.6 million through Mohali- based IDS Infotech and Chandigarh-based Aeromatrix Info Solutions Private Limited to India and kept the remaining amount out of about Euro 24.30 million received from AgustaWestland with themselves in the account of IDS Tunisia". PTI