CBI in London to probe CWG irregularities

A two-member probe team of the CBI, which is currently in London to seek a UK court’s permission to get Naval War Room leak case’s main accused extradited to India, will seek help of the Scotland Yard to gather key evidence related to alleged irregularities in the conduct of Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR) ahead of the CWG.

A two-member probe team of the CBI, which is currently in London to seek a UK court’s permission to get Naval War Room leak case’s main accused extradited to India, will seek help of the Scotland Yard to gather key evidence related to alleged irregularities in the conduct of Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR) ahead of the CWG.

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The team will explore options, including of extradition, to get co-operation of a key suspect — London’s businessman Ashish Patel — in the case. Despite assuring the CBI of his co-operation, Patel is allegedly yet to send or record his statement before it despite reminders from the agency.

The CBI team in London, which comprises the investigating officer of the Naval War Room leak conspiracy and an agency prosecutor, is scheduled to attend a case hearing in a London court on Monday to assist UK’s Crown Prosecutor Services. The court is likely to decide on CBI’s plea seeking extradition of Ravi Shankaran, the main accused in the Naval War Room leak case.

“In April, Patel had assured us that he would record statement as a witness with the British authorities within 15 days of his meeting with a CBI team but didn’t,” said the source.

In its FIR on the QBR irregularities, CBI had alleged that Patel — owner of the London-based AM Films and AM Cars & Vans — had bagged two contracts worth R4.5 crore from the CWG’s Organising Committee irregularly.