GUWAHATI/NEW DELHI: The Assam Police on Tuesday claimed to have recovered “incriminating” material from the New Delhi residence of Congress leader Pawan Khera.
An Assam Police team, accompanied by Delhi Police personnel, went to Khera’s residence in connection with a case registered with the Crime Branch in Guwahati, but did not find him.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife Riniki Bhuyan Sharma had lodged an FIR against the Congress leader following his claims that she possesses passports of three countries, owns luxury properties in Dubai and has investments worth several lakh crore rupees in the United States.
Guwahati Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Debojit Nath, who led the Assam Police team, told media persons outside Khera’s residence that the Congress leader was wanted in the case.
“A case has been registered with the Crime Branch police station in Guwahati and we wanted Mr Pawan Khera. We searched his house and found some incriminating material which I cannot disclose right now,” Nath said.
“We don’t know where he is but we will trace him out,” the DCP further stated.
The Assam Chief Minister claimed that Khera had fled to Hyderabad.
“Pawan Khera fled in a 6 am flight on Monday. He reached Hyderabad,” Sarma said, adding that till the day before yesterday, the Congress leader was challenging the Assam Police to arrest him if they had the guts.
Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita on Tuesday dismissed as “fake and fabricated” Khera’s claims that the CM’s wife has passports of three nations.
“As the MoS for External Affairs, I want to say that we have come to know through our diplomatic channels and investigation that these are fake and fabricated documents,” he told media persons.
Earlier, the Chief Minister dismissed Khera’s claims, stating that the “fraud and fabricated” documents that the Congress leader had relied on while making the allegations were “supplied from a Pakistani social media group.”
The Congress on Monday filed a complaint with the Election Commission, demanding the cancellation of Sarma’s candidature, stating that he deliberately did not mention his wife’s alleged offshore assets in his election affidavit.
Sarma is contesting the April 9 elections from Guwahati’s Jalukbari constituency which he has held since 2001.