Incriminating audio clips contain Kumar’s voice, claims CBI
The CBI on Friday said forensic tests confirmed that a voice sample of Rajendra Kumar, former principal secretary to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, matched with the voice in a dozen-odd audio clips that indicate he granted favours to a private firm.
The CBI on Friday said forensic tests confirmed that a voice sample of Rajendra Kumar, former principal secretary to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, matched with the voice in a dozen-odd audio clips that indicate he granted favours to a private firm.
The agency on Friday carried out searches at six locations in Delhi, Noida and Agra. It raided the premises of individuals, including Kumar’s chartered accountant Amit Goyal, and firms that allegedly took bribes in lieu of the favours. “The CBI recovered cash worth Rs 27 lakh from Goyal’s premises,” said a CBI source.
“The Delhi-based Central Forensic Science Laboratory confirmed that a voice sample that the CBI took from Kumar has matched with a dozen-odd incriminating audio clips retrieved from his email accounts last December. The CBI took the sample after initiating a corruption probe against him,” said the source.
The source said, “The forensic confirmation will strengthen the graft case against Kumar and the other accused. In the clips, Kumar is heard giving people instructions to help an accused private firm, Endeavour Systems Private Limited, bag contracts.”
The agency has alleged that contracts worth about Rs 57 crore were awarded to the accused firm.
The source, however, refused to go into detail on the content of the audio clip, saying “the CBI has to first inform the court about its content.”
The CBI had earlier claimed the audio clips retrieved from Kumar’s email accounts were reportedly from the years 2011 to 2013. Kumar and the other accused have denied the CBI’s allegations.
The CBI arrested Kumar and four others on corruption charges on Monday. The other accused include Tarun Sharma, a deputy secretary in chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s office, and the directors of ESPL.
The CBI last December registered a case against Kumar and six others for allegedly favouring ESPL while granting five government contracts worth Rs 9.5 crore during 2007-14. The agency had subsequently conducted searches at his office at Delhi Secretariat and south Delhi residence.
Read: CBI brings Kejriwal’s aide Kumar, other accused face-to-face in graft scam probe
The CBI FIR named Kumar, the firm, two of its directors and three serving and retired officials of a public sector unit, Intelligent Communication System India Limited (ICSIL).
The agency on Friday claimed to have recovered a software -- Microsoft Dynamics CRM Package -- during its searches on Wednesday that could reportedly strengthen its case against the accused, including Kumar and ESPL.
“One of the ESPL directors, Sandip Kumar, who was arrested by the CBI, alleged the firm had bagged a VAT department contract to prepare a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Package a few years ago. Kumar was the VAT commissioner at the time,” said the source.
“According to Sandip, the firm could not reportedly prepare the software as per the requirements.Instead, it developed a software using another platform. So it was not used by the department,” said the source.
The VAT department allegedly bought the software for Rs 3 crore, according to the source. “The CBI recovered the unused software on Friday,” said the source.