NEW DELHI, April 25 (IANS): Former Commonwealth Games (CWG) Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi was arrested by the CBI Monday after he was questioned again in connection with alleged irregularities in the contracts awarded for the 2010 mega-event, an officer said.
After skipping questioning thrice, Kalmadi appeared at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) headquarters here and was quizzed by the CBI sleuths before he was arrested.
CBI spokesperson Vineeta Thakur told reporters that Kalmadi would be produced before a special court Tuesday.
Kalmadi was questioned for an alleged TSR (timing scoring and result) equipment scam. He faces charges of conspiracy and cheating under the Prevention of Corruption Act, Thakur said.
This was his fourth round of questioning about a slew of contracts that saw the most expensive firms being hired for the equipment and services. These include conspiring with a Swiss firm that supplied the TSR for the October 3-14 Games at exorbitant rates.
Kalmadi`s aides, including Lalit Bhanot, who served as the secretary general of the Organising Committee, and V.K. Verma, who was its director general, were arrested earlier.
Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar described Kalmadi`s arrest as “belated but welcome”.”This is definitely a belated but welcome step,” he said.
Javadekar said there should be similar action against other people. “We demand that action against Delhi Chief Minister (Sheila Dikshit) and other senior bureaucrats involved in the loot should also be taken.”
Kalmadi was summoned to the CBI headquarters April 15 but had to go out of station on that day, an official told IANS. He was then called Tuesday, April 19, but could not make it. Yet again, he failed to appear before the CBI for questioning April 20, saying he was unwell.
Kalmadi was earlier questioned in connection with alleged irregularities in hiring AM Films and AM Car and Van Hire Limited during the Queen`s Baton Relay in 2009.
