The Hindu : New Delhi News : Malhotra remanded to CBI custody

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Wednesday, Aug 08, 2007
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Malhotra remanded to CBI custody

Staff Reporter

Vital to establish identity of the other accused, including public servants, in the case: Judge

CBI to produce the accused in court on August 21
It wants Malhotra’s help in verification of documents

Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

Nowhere to run: Ashok Malhotra being produced by the CBI at the Tis Hazari courts in Delhi on Tuesday.

NEW DELHI: A special court here on Tuesday remanded Ashok Malhotra, accused in the Delhi multi-crore land scam case, to 14-day custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Allowing the CBI plea for the maximum period of custody, Special Judge S. K. Kaushik agreed that custodial interrogation of the accused was necessary to establish the identity of the other accused, including public servants, and also verify the authenticity of certain documents.

“Considering the extent of investigation to be carried out by the CBI, I am satisfied that the 14-day custody is justified,” the Judge said. He asked the CBI to produce the accused before the court on August 21.

CBI counsel Virender Kumar contended that the accused had to be confronted with voluminous documents and the suspects. Further, the agency needed to take him to various places where he had stayed while evading arrest, counsel said.

The CBI also asked for custodial interrogation of the accused to find out if the money raked in through the alleged scam was invested and, if so, where and how.

Earlier, Ashok Soni, counsel for the accused, argued that the CBI had not been able to produce a single document to connect his client to the case.

Malhotra, who had been missing since the CBI raided his house and office this past week, dramatically appeared on Monday in the studios of a TV news channel in neighbouring Noida, from where the CBI took him into custody.

According to the FIR registered by the CBI, Malhotra and five officials of the DDA (one of whom has retired) had entered into a criminal conspiracy to fraudulently acquire plots in Dheerpur Phase-I of Gandhi Vihar Resettlement Colony that were meant for rehabilitation of slum dwellers. The plots were then sold at very high rates. The alleged scam had occurred between 2000 and 2002.

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