CWG: CBI raids Suresh Kalmadi`s aides

Stepping up investigations into bunglings in CWG, CBI on Tuesday raided eleven locations including homes of Lalit Bhanot and VK Verma.

Zeenews Bureau

New Delhi: Stepping up the investigations into the alleged corruption in the Commonwealth Games 2010, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday raided eleven locations including the homes of organizing committee officials Lalit Bhanot and VK Verma. The Organising Committee headquarters have also been raided by CBI sleuths in connection to the multi-crore scam in the organizing of the mega sporting event. FIRs have been registered against Bhanot and Verma for cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy.According to the source, the CBI is still conducting raids at 11 places in the national capital and the neighbouring townships of Noida and Gurgaon in connection with alleged irregularities in the purchase of the Time Scoring Board used in the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games. "The searches are still on and all details will be provided," an official maintained. The CBI is probing the alleged irregularities in the OC`s contract of Rs.107 crore with a firm to procure the Time Scoring Board. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) last month questioned Verma for his alleged role in the financial irregularities in the Queen`s Baton Relay in London in 2009.Three other aides of Kalmadi -- T.S. Darbari, Sanjay Mohindroo and M. Jayachandran -- are already in custody for their alleged involvement in the Queen`s Baton Relay scam. The OC is understood to have paid AM Films - a sister concern of AM Car - over 450,000 pounds for services during the Queen`s Baton Relay function in London in October 2009 without following proper tendering procedures and paper work. Kalmadi had Monday claimed he had not committed any offence and was ready to answer all CBI questions.