CBI court sent Barak deal accused to judicial custody

New Delhi, Mar 14 (UNI) Arms dealers Suresh Nanda and his son Sanjeev, accused in the Barak missile deal pay-off case, were sent to 14 days judicial custody today by a special CBI court.

After hearing the bail application of the accused, CBI Special Judge Indermeet Kaur Kochar send all the accused to judicial custody, after their earlier three days police remand.

The Central Bureau of Investigation requested further custody on the basis that the accused have been examined partially and are required to unearth various aspects of the conspiracy.

The Nandas were arrested on charges of trying to bribe an Income Tax official for fudging their account books and sent to three days police custody.

On March 8, the CBI had registered a case against the Nandas, Ashutosh Verma, IRS, Deputy director (investigation), Income Tax, New Delhi and Vipin Shah, a Chartered Accountant and other unknown persons.

The case was registered under section 120B, 201, 204, 218 of the Indian Penal Code and 13 (2) and 13 (1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 for entering into a criminal conspiracy for the purpose of manipulating the report of Income tax investigation to show undue favour to Suresh Nanda and his associates by abusing the official position by a public servant for obtaining pecuniary advantages.

The CBI alleged that Ashutosh Verma had conducted searches on the premises of Suresh Nanda in February 2007 and had recovered a large number of incriminating documents against him and his associates related to evasion of income tax as well as their involvement in the defence deal and other related matters.

The investigating agency also alleged that Verma had shown the report prepared by him to Vipin Shah on his laptop and carried out the necessary changes in it as per the directions of the Nandas for diluting the same and also destroying the incriminating documents before submitting it to his senior officials in lieu of huge pecuniary advantages .

During searches at residence and offices of accused CBI also recovered an unaccounted amount of Rs 55 lakhs from the possession of Vipin Shah.

Vipin Shah today said in his application before the court for bail that the recovered amount is his own funds and not related to any of co-accused in any manner as alleged .

The court adjourned the further hearing on the bail application of accused for March 19.

UNI XC KK RS1831