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Reliance executive deposes in OSA case

August 04, 2003 20:23 IST

A top executive of Reliance group deposed on Monday before a Delhi court in the infamous 'helicopter grabbing case,' involving Dawood Ibrahim's alleged contact Romesh Sharma, and said that Sharma had sought his help for the sale or leasing out of the chopper.

Two Reliance officials had been accused of procuring classified government documents in violation of the Official Secrets Act.

Deposing as a witness, Reliance President V Balasubramaniam told Additional Sessions Judge R K Yadav that Sharma had given him the papers pertaining to the copter asking him to find out if his company or anybody else could buy or take it on rent.

The executive claimed that police had later recovered the documents regarding the same from him.

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Balasubramaniam said he had handed the papers to Wing Commander Manchanda, who verified and told him that the chopper was a genuine one, but the company did not need it for any purpose at that point in time.

However, police had later recovered the papers from him, the executive said, adding that he had told the police that he had not gone through the contents of the documents.

Balasubramaniam also said when he had gone to Sharma's Jai Mata Di farm house at Mehrauli in New Delhi to hire the place for his grand-daughter's birthday, he had seen the chopper there.

Special Judge S S Bal had framed charges against Sharma under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 395 (dacoity), 392 (robbery), 412 (dishonestly receiving property stolen in the commission of a dacoity), 386 (extortion by putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt), 365 (abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.