CWG probe: I-T conducts raids at 50 locations

New Delhi: Investigators probing the Commonwealth Games scam spread the dragnet with 300 Income Tax

sleuths carrying out simultaneous nationwide raids today on 50 premises of four contractors who executed some Games-related works. As the multi-agency investigations into alleged financial irregularities in the conduct of the games continued, the Central Vigilance Commission was probing a complaint related to alleged amassing of Rs 200 crore by a top CWG official, believed to be a close associate of Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi. In reply to an RTI query filed by PTI, the CVC, which is looking into 22 complaints of financial irregularities in different Games-related projects, said that it is probing the complaint against V K Gautam, former Chief Operating Officers (COO). Gautam was not available for comments. Official sources said the simultaneous raids in various cities, which began early morning, were centred on four main contractors roped in by the CWG OC for landscaping and beautification works of the Games venues among other works. The sources said over 50 premises spread across Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Jamshedpur, Kolkata and National Capital Region (NCR) were the focus of the raiding teams and that a large number of documents including those pertaining to contracts and sub-contracts awarded in connection with the Games were seized. They said the contractors, who are under the scanner of the I-T Department, were involved in landscaping, beautification of venues, changing of street lamps, laying field tracks and also in the business of sports equipment and gear. The raids came a day after CWG OC Director General V K Verma was grilled for 10 hours by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) here. The sources said the tax return details of previous years filed by these firms were also being examined by the department. The action comes at a time when various other government agencies including the Enforcement Directorate, CBI, Central Vigilance Commission and also the Prime Minister- appointed Special Committee are looking into various aspects of the alleged financial irregularities. The sources said the I-T probe will specifically look into the contracts awarded by the OC and the role of its officials and contractors besides charges of bribing. The I-T department officials have seized documents to detect possible evasion of taxes through over-invoicing and fudging of accounts, the sources said. The department had on October 19 carried out similar searches on four major consortia, including those related to BJP member Sudhanshu Mittal, which had bagged contracts worth Rs 700 crore. Mittal is considered to be a close associate of former BJP President Rajnath Singh and late party leader Pramod Mahajan. -PTI