'Bribe for visas' case: CBI arrests Karti Chidambaram's close aide

Chennai: A day after conducting raids at 10 locations following allegations, including bribery, to facilitate issuance of visas to a Chinese company beyond ceiling during the period 2010-2014, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested a close associate of Lok Sabha Member Karti P Chidambaram here today.

S.Bhaskararaman, a close aide of Karti, was arrested from his residence today morning. Bhaskararaman, who was cited as the Number one accused in the FIR filed by the CBI, was said to have received Rs 56 lakh bribe on behalf of Karti, who is also the son of senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P.Chidambaram, to facilitate issuance of visas to the Chinese company, which has been outsourced to set up a 1980 MW power plant by a private firm in Punjab.

CBI registered a fresh case case against six including Karti, his associate Bhaskararaman (both Chennai), Vikas Makharia, representing Mansa, a Punjab -based private company, M/s Talwandi Sabo Power Limited, Mansa (Punjab), M/s Bell Tools Limited, Mumbai (Maharashtra) and unknown/public servant(s) and private person(s). Karti Chidambaram has been cited as the second accused in the FIR, while unknown/public servant(s) and private person(s) were cited as sixth accused.

Following the registering of cases, the CBI officials yesterday conducted searches at 10 places including former Union Minister and Senior Congress leader Chidambaram's residence in Chennai and at his official residence in New Delhi, Karti's office in Chennai, besides in Mumbai, Koppal(Karnataka), Jharsuguda(Orissa), Mansa(Punjab) and Delhi. Reacting to the CBI raids, the former Union Home and Finance Minister Chidambaram termed the timing of searches as interesting, while Karti said he has lost count on the number of raids and that it must be a record.

Chidambaram said during the raids at his residence at Chennai and his official residence at New Delhi, the team showed him a FIR in which he was not named as an accused. He also said the search team found nothing and seized nothig and that the timing of the search was interesting.

Meanwhile, Karti too took to twitter and said he had lost count on the number of raids and said it must be a record. "I have lost count, how many times has it been? Must be a record", Karti said.

It has been alleged that the private company based at Mansa was in the process of establishing a 1980 MW thermal power plant at Mansa (Punjab) and establishing of plant was outsourced to a Chinese Company.

As the project suffered delay, the company, in a bid to expedite the project, had allegedly paid bribery to Bhaskararaman at the instance of Karti to facilitate visas for the Chinese company officials. (UNI)