CBI registers new case against Naval War room leak accused

The CBI and Income Tax department today carried out searches at the premises of a Swiss defence firm in New Delhi and Naval war room leak case accused Abhishek Verma in connection with allegedly taking money from the company in lieu of stalling its blacklisting by government.

The CBI and Income Tax department on Thursday carried out searches at the premises of a Swiss defence firm in New Delhi and Naval war room leak case accused Abhishek Verma in connection with allegedly taking money from the company in lieu of stalling its blacklisting by government.

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The CBI has booked Verma in a fresh case alleging that he took $ 5.30 lakh from Swiss-company Rheinmetall Air Defence AG (RAD) on promise that he would use his influence to stall blacklisting proceedings intiated by the Government against it after the Ordnance Factory Board scam surfaced.

The CBI booked the company, Verma and unknown persons under section eight and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, CBI sources said.

Section 8 of the Act relates to taking bribe to influence public servants and carries a punishment of six months to five years.

After registering the case, 10 CBI teams, who were later joined by the criminal investigation unit of I-T, swooped down at various locations in Delhi and Gurgaon which included four premises of Verma, offices of RAD in Vasant Vihar and Satya Niketan and farm house of its Director Mahinder Sahni in Kishangarh, they said.

CBI sources said it has found crucial documents related to alleged transfer of funds from RAD to Ganton USA, allegedly front company of Verma, for "consultancy payments" some of which which were later brought back to India as transfers to Ganton India.