CBI searches premises of 4 more accused in Adarsh scam

Mumbai, Jan 30 (PTI) CBI today conducted searches inMaharashtra and Bihar at the premises of four accused in theAdarsh housing scam, including a retired Army officer, aCongress leader and a former state government official, andwill soon issue notices for summoning them for questioning.

The searches were conducted at the residences of thesociety''s general secretary R C Thakur, retired Brigadier M MWanchoo and Congress leader K L Gidwani and former principalsecretary of Urban Development department Ramanand Tiwari inthe two states.

The office of the Adarsh society located in posh Colabahere was also searched.

The searches were carried out a day after the CBI filedan FIR against 13 people, including former Maharastra ChiefMinister Ashok Chavan and some retired senior Army officialsfor their alleged involvement in the Adarsh scam.

"Thakur, Wanchoo and Gidwani were not present at thepremises when the searches were conducted. We are likely toissue notices to the trio summoning them for questioning," asenior CBI official said.

While searches at Thakur''s residences in Bihar, Nagpurand Thane are over, the operations at Tiwari''s house inMumbai continued till late in the evening.

Wanchoo''s house in Pune and Gidwani''s house at Worliin central Mumbai were also searched, the official added.

According to CBI sources, Thakur, Wanchoo and Gidwaniwere allegedly the prime movers in building the society, thesources said.

Thakur was the then sub-divisional officer at theDefence Estate Office of Mumbai while Gidwani, a formerCongress MLC, was the chief promoter of the society.

The CBI sources said that computers, laptops and somedocuments were seized from the premises which would beanalysed by the sleuths.

The electronic items would be sent to Hyderabad andDelhi for examination of the hard disk. Tiwari, who wasrecently suspended by Maharashtra government as InformationCommissioner, has been accused of misusing his official powerand passing letters in favour of the society. His son OnkarTiwari has a flat in the building.

Apart from Chavan and the four accused, the FIR alsonames retired Lt General P K Rampal, Major Generals A R Kumarand T K Kaul, Subash Lala, the then Principal Secretary to theChief Minister and Brig (retd) R C Sharma.

The FIR has been filed under various sections of IPCincluding criminal conspiracy, cheating, and forgery andshowing forged document as genuine besides sectionspertaining to Prevention of Corruption Act. .