CBI recovers important documents in raids on A Raja and his aides
merisarkar news service
New Delhi, December 08, 2010
Raid on Delhi, Chennai premises
The CBI raided the houses of former Communication and Information Technology Minister A. Raja in New Delhi and Tamil Nadu and his former aides to investigate the alleged irregularities in the allotment of Unified Access Service Licenses for 2G Spectrum.
The CBI said in a statement, "Incriminating documents have been recovered during raids." CBI spokesperson DIG Vinita Thakur said that no arrests or detentions have been made so far. Apart from A. Raja, the raids were conducted at the premises of former officials of Department of Telecommunications at 14 places.
They included the premises of Raja's Private Secretary R.K Chandolia, former DOT Secretary Sidhartha Behuria, former Member Technology of Telecom Commission K. Sreedhar, former Deputy Director General of Access Service Division-1 DoT A. K. Srivastava and the Managing Director of Greehnouse Exports in Chennai Sadiqui Batcha.
Raids conducted at 14 places
CBI DIG Vineeta Thakur said that there had been allegations of serious irregularities in giving the licenses to private companies. She said that according to the information received there was a criminal conspiracy between certain officials of the DoT and private companies and persons in awarding the liscences by putting a cap on the number of applicants against the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India - TRAI .
On the direction of corruption watchdog CVC, CBI had earlier registered a case on the 21st of October last year against unknown officials and some unknown private persons and companies under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Two days after registering the case CBI, in an unprecedented move, had raided offices of Wireless Planning Cell and Access Services Division of Department of Telecommunications.
