CHENNAI: The CBI on Saturday conducted searches at the residence of Congress MP Karti Chidambaram in Chennai in connection with the Chinese visa case, officials said. They said during searches on May 17 after filing of the FIR, a portion of Karti's home was sealed because keys to that portion were not available. The keys were understood to be with his wife who was abroad at the time of searches, they said. The searches in that portion were resumed on Saturday after agency received the keys, they said.
Visa for Chinese: CBI raids Karti residence for second time
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials searched Congress MP Karti Chidambaram's house here for the second time in two months, in connection with suspected irregularities in securing visas for Chinese nationals.
The Sivaganga MP's residence was raided on May 17. Saturday's search was necessitated as a locked cupboard could not be checked back them because keys were not available. Sources said seven officials reached the junior Chidambaram's house on Pycrofts Road around 2pm on Saturday.
After the searches lasting several hours, CBI did not issue any official statement on seizures made, a note from advocate G Sarath Babu, representing Karti Chidambaram, said. There were only clothes in the cupboard and there was nothing else that CBI could seize, he said. The note, however, said the CBI sleuths 'illegally' seized a laptop and an iPad of Karti Chidambaram's daughter, a university student. "It contains her academic work. We have strongly protested the action and will move the court against the seizure," said the note. CBI officials were not available for their response.
The CBI registered the case against Karti Chidambaram, his close associate and Punjab-based Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (TSPL), in May on charges of bribery and flouting of visa rules to bring in Chinese nationals to complete a thermal power plant work in Mansa, Punjab, in 2011. On May 17, searches were carried out at 10 places, including Mumbai, Koppal in Karnataka, Jharsuguda in Odisha, Mansa in Punjab and Delhi.
According to the FIR registered by the CBI, TSPL outsourced the construction of the coal-based super-critical thermal power plant with 1,980MW capacity in Banawala village in Mansa district in Punjab to a China-based firm during the UPA regime in 2011. However, due to the delay in completing the project, the Chinese firm wanted to bring in more manpower from the country to speed up the work and Vikas Makharia allegedly approached Karti Chidambaram through Bhaskararaman to get more project visas for Chinese nationals above the ceiling imposed by the home ministry.
