Two other MPs also questioned by police in 'kabutarbazi' scam

New Delhi, May 17 (UNI) Two of the four MPs, allegedly involved in the human trafficking racket, were today questioned by top sleuths of the Crime Branch at its R K Puram office in South Delhi.

On May 14, two other MPs -- Mitrasen Yadav (MP from Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh) and Ashok Rawat (MP from Misrikh, UP) -- had been questioned for over one hour by the Crime Branch.

DCP (Crime Branch) A S Cheema told UNI that both the parlamentarians -- Mohammad Tahir Khan (BSP MP from Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh) and Ramswaroop Koli (BJP parliamentarian from Bayana in Rajasthan), were questioned at length on the ''subject'' and the sleuths tried to find what had transpired.

''We have also arrested one Satwant alias Santu Masih, the travel agent from Punjab, for his involvement in the scam.'' Sources said both the MPs hadn't brought their passports, as directed by the police, for verification purposes.

Tahir Khan, who arrived at the Crime Branch office at about 1140 hrs and was questioned for nearly two hours, later said though he had been on foreign trips twice, he had nothing to do with the human trafficking episode. ''I am being falsely implicated.'' On the other hand, Ramswaroop Koli, who reached the venue around 1330 hrs, told his interrogators in his nearly hour-long 'face-off' that he had lost his passport and he had nothing to do with the 'whole thing'.

Meanwhile, Ashok Rawat, who too had been asked to reappear before the police today, could not make it due to food poisoning.

His lawyer Harjot Singh said his client would present himself to the police on the next designated date.

''Mr (Ashok) Rawat is not guilty and was in no way involved in the alleged scandal. He has given the passport details of his wife and himself to the police for verification and I am sure his name would be removed soon as the police may have verified the facts by now.'' Rawat, in his appearance before the police on May 14 had said he had been abroad only once, that too as member of a parliamentary delegation (to Singapore), and never in an individual capacity.

Sources also added that police could not find anything incriminating against Faizabad MP Mitrasen Yadav during their May 14 interrogation and that he might be 'absolved soon' from any further process of investigation.

All the four MPs had been named by an accused in the human trafficking racket and intimated thrice with police notices to 'cooperate' in the investigations.

Police sought their 'cooperation' after a travel agent, Sunder Lal Yadav, during probe into the trafficking scam revealed in a city court last month that Mohammad Tahir Khan and Ramswaroop Koli were key elements in the smuggling racket involving sending people abroad through forged documents or on diplomatic passports of the MPs' family members.

Initially the Delhi Police had sent notices to the four MPs on April 23 to which they replied seeking more time to 'appear' for investigations due to busy campaigning schedules in view of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

UNI