NEW DELHI/TIRUCHY: Five years after registering a case in the 2G spectrum allocation scam against former telecom minister A Raja, the CBI on Wednesday lodged a fresh case against him for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets worth Rs 27.92 crore during 1999-2000 Following the CBI’s FIR, the agency raided 20 places in Delhi, Chennai, Perambalur, Tiruchy and Coimbatore.
Apart from Raja, the CBI named his wife Parameswari, his brother A Kaliaperumal, his nephew Parmesh Kumar and his wife Kala, close associate C Krishnamurthy and Rahena Banu, wife of Raja’s associate late Sadiq Batcha, in its FIR. The probe agency pointed out that several immovable properties were acquired in the names of Greenhouse Promoters, Kovai Shelters Private limited and Sivakamam Trading Limited.
“It is alleged that during 1999-2010, while serving as MP and Union minister, he (Raja) had amassed assets and pecuniary resources to the tune of Rs 27.92 crore (approximately) in his name, in the name of family members and his friends and other close associates which were disproportionate to his known and lawful sources of income,” said a CBI spokesperson.
Interestingly, Raja had declared assets worth Rs 1.45 crore in his election affidavit in 2014, while that of his wife was worth Rs 93.93 lakh. His minor daughter holds assets worth Rs 18.15 lakh. In Tiruchy district, the CBI raids started around 10 am in Perambalur on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, another team raided several places in Tiruchy and Ariyalur.
Raja’s house in Velur, 13 km from Perambalur, ITC Agencies, owned by Kaliaperumal located on South Madhavi Street at Elamanur Road, and Sivakamam Motors in Perambalur were raided.
Raja’s friends Batcha Subbudu alias Subramani’s residence at Kamban Nagar, a real estate office owned by Batcha on Elamanur Road, Batcha’s father-in-law Musthafa’s house in Mustafa Nagar were also searched. After completing the raids, the team visited a Canara Bank branch in Perambalur with Kaliaperumal and in the presence of bank officials asked him about the number of accounts he held there and the mode of transactions, till 8 pm.
After the officials arrived at the bank, Raja’s supporters and relatives gathered near the bank and raised slogans against the raids. Subsequently, the officials sealed the area and continued their activity
Another team of CBI sleuths raided Sivakamam Trading Limited on Thattara Street on Perambalur Road in Ariyalur district. They said that all the seized documents will be digitised by the CBI.