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Vincent George ignores police summons

Onkar Singh in New Delhi

Vincent George, the controversial private secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and Ashok Aggarwal, former deputy director of the Enforcement Directorate, failed to turn up at the Tuglak Road police station on Thursday in response to a summons.

A first information report had been filed against the two, and they were scheduled to record their statements at 1100 hours IST with Sub-Inspector Rakesh Kumar.

The police officers were tight-lipped about the incident. "We have no information. They may come today anytime or they would send in information about their non-availability. If they don't turn up we will send them fresh summons. We had sent them a letter on March 6," said a senior police officer.

It was NRI businessman Abhishek Verma, the son of Rajya Sabha member Veena Verma, who had filed a complaint against George and Aggarwal. In a written petition on February 24, Verma alleged that he had been receiving threatening calls from some "Bhai" based in Dubai who asked him to withdraw the statements given by him against George and Aggarwal to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The Delhi police confirmed that a first information report (44/2000) had indeed been registered at the Tuglak Road station and they were investigating the matter.

Verma was arrested by the CBI for implicating Subash Barjatya in a case with the help of Ashok Aggarwal when the latter was the deputy director in the Enforcement Directorate. The police said he submitted an audio record of 'Bhai's' threatening calls to him.

"We do not want them [George and Aggarwal] for anything else. We merely want them to tell us whether they know the person in question or not," a senior police officer said.

Verma has now become an approver in the case.

The police have the power to summon a witness who "appears to be acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the case." Given the political overtones the FIR has developed, it is unlikely that it would be pursued like any other case.

In the case being investigated by the CBI, Aggarwal reportedly not only confirmed his links with George but also made some allegations against a senior official in the PMO.

"Since Aggarwal has himself been an investigating officer at one point of time he knows how to get out of a tricky situation," said a senior official of the Indian Revenue Service.

There is division amongst officials about the money that Aggarwal is alleged to have amassed. "Some say that he is worth Rs 1 billion. I would say that is loose change for him," said a senior police official.

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