CWG scam: CBI raids homes of Bhanot, Verma

The CBI on Monday carried out searches at 11 premises, including residences of four aides of Commonwealth Games (CWG) Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi, in connection with alleged irregularities in a Rs 107 crore contract for the Games result update system and registered cases against them.

Official sources said the CBI has registered an FIR in relation to a deal struck with a Swiss firm for results update system for the CWG.

CBI conducted searches at the residences of OC secretary general Lalit Bhanot, director general V K Verma, R K Sacheti, joint director general (Coordination) and Sangeeta Welingkar, member of the Games Image and Look Group.

The searches were carried out in Gurgaon, Noida and the national capital including at the OC headquarters, the sources said.

This is the third FIR in connection with alleged irregularities in CWG projects. The CBI had earlier registered two FIRs in connection with alleged irregularities in Queen's Baton Relay held in London last year and had arrested three former Games officials.

This is the first time that premises of both Bhanot and Verma, both considered close to Kalmadi, were searched.

While Verma has been questioned by the Enforcement Directorate a couple of times, Bhanot was also on their radar, the sources said.

Verma claimed, "These allegations are absolutely baseless. Any suspicion on any individual is totally baseless because you should see this whole matter has been examined by so many high-level committees...several committees had examined the matter.

"The whole thing was referred to the ministry. This whole presentation, the whole discussion took place in the executive board meeting of the CWG. So there has been complete transparency of every step taken in this case," he said.