CBI raids Suresh Kalmadi’s houses

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday raided the houses of Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi in connection with the alleged financial irregularities in the Commonwealth Games.

“Raids are being conducted at his (Kalmadi) residences in Delhi and Pune,” the CBI sleuths said but declined to give details.

The CBI also raided the houses of Manoj Bhore, the personal secretary of Kalmadi.

The simultaneous raids come just two days after the Government’s admission that it was helpless tor remove Kalmadi from post of chairmanship because it is an autonomous body.

The CBI had alleged that Kalmadi, a Congress MP from Maharastra, was obstructing the investigation process.

The CBI had written to the Government earlier this month requesting Kalmadi’s removal from the chairmanship of the Games organising committee on the grounds that he was obstructing the investigation.

The Games, which were held in Delhi in October, were hit by claims of massive financial irregularities as the budget ballooned to an estimated six billion dollars. Kalmadi has been insisting that he was innocent.

The CBI raided the homes of other top committee officials in Nov and arrested the sacked treasurer, M. Jayachandran, the third official to be accused of forgery and cheating over the awarding of Games-related contracts.

Police have charged two other former Games officials over alleged corruption.

The Central Vigilance Commission is also probing alleged financial irregularities. The Comptroller and Auditor General too is looking into the accounts of the OC and various other projects associated with the probe.