CWG scam: Bhanot, Verma likely to face arrest

Commonwealth Games (CWG) OC secretary general Lalit Bhanot and director general V K Verma face arrest after the duo is reportedly not co-operating with the CBI during investigations.

The two officials were, on Tuesday, booked for purchasing scoring and result equipment from a Switzerland-based firm for a whopping 107 crore. Their residences were also later raided that day.

According to sources the two had been instrumental in causing a loss of Rs 57 crore by accepting highly over-priced tenders.

"They need to be interrogated in custody as they are not co-operating with the investigations", a source said.

Sources also revealed that Bhanot, who had signed the order of the equipment from the Switzerland-based firm, has so far refrained from naming Suresh Kalmadi as the person responsible for ordering the purchase.

"No, the decision was not taken by Suresh Kalmadi alone. The decision to purchase the equipment was ratified by the Executive Board of the Organising Committee (OC). We are co-operating with the investigating agency," Bhanot told rediff.com on Wednesday.

When contacted, top officials of the Indian Olympic Association refused to answer any questions related to the investigations by the CBI.

"Would these officials be arrested?", they retorted, when asked if Kalmadi has now started feeling the heat.