2G case: CBI suspects Ruias, Khaitans being evasive

The CBI suspects that Essar group promoters Ravikant Ruia and nephew Anshuman Ruia as well as Loop Telecom promoters IP Khaitan and wife Kiran Khaitan are trying to evade summons from the CBI special court in connection with the 2G scam-related chargesheet filed against them in December.

The CBI suspects that Essar group promoters Ravikant Ruia and nephew Anshuman Ruia as well as Loop Telecom promoters IP Khaitan and wife Kiran Khaitan are trying to evade summons from the CBI special court in connection with the 2G scam-related chargesheet filed against them in December.

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“The summons were sent to the addresses given by the Ruias and Khaitans when their statements were recorded before the CBI. But now they are claiming that they don’t reside at those addresses. No one has received the summons,” said a senior agency official.

The Ruias and Khaitans — whose families are related — have been ordered to appear before the court on January 27. But they are currently in Dubai and denied having received any summons.

The summons have therefore been pasted at the Khaitans’ New Friends Colony house in Delhi and are likely to be pasted at the Ruias’ addresses in Mumbai as well.

Essar and Loop officials admitted that their promoters were in Dubai but denied they were evading summons. “No summons have been received by the Ruias,” said an Essar spokesperson.

Loop Telecom claimed in a separate statement: “IP and Kiran Khaitan are non-resident Indians. Their residential address in Dubai has been provided to the CBI. Summons are required to be served at a place where they are residing. It is incorrect and baseless to suggest that they are evading summons.”

The four were charged with cheating the department of telecommunications by allegedly using an Essar group front company, Loop Telecom, to get unified access service licences for 21 circles during A Raja’s term as telecom minister in January 2008.