CBI sends team to London for Shankaran''s extradition

New Delhi, Jan 16 (PTI) A two-member CBI team todayleft for London to assist British prosecutors in theextradition case of Ravi Shankaran, kin of former Naval ChiefArun Prakash and the main accused in the infamous Naval WarRoom leak case.

After failing to achieve a breakthrough since hisarrest on April 21 lat year, the CBI got in touch with the UKauthorities and Scotland Yard which suggested that the agencysend its team for assisting the UK Crown Prosecution duringhis trial slated for January 19.

The sources said that a two-member team led by aSuperintendent of Police left today along with the documentsrelating to the alleged involvement of 46-year-old Shankaranin the leaking of commercially sensitive information from theWar Room of the Navy, official sources said.

Shankaran was arrested by Metropolitan Police inLondon on April 21, giving a ray of hope to the agency forunravelling the conspiracy in leaking of crucial classifiedinformation to commercial firms for pecuniary benefits.

The CBI, which has gone unrepresented in two hearings,had sought assistance of the Crown Prosecution Services torepresent the case in the court for his extradition.

The UK Special Public Prosecutor, while taking intoaccount India''s extradition plea, cited the allegedinvolvement of Shankaran in leaking the sensitive informationabout Sir Creek in Gujarat before Westminster MagistrateCourt.

Shankaran''s solicitor Prosecutor Henri Brandman hasmaintained that his client will use this opportunity to put incorrect light a number of matters "which have been reportedtotally incorrect".

The CBI had registered a case on March 20, 2006against former IAF Wing Commander Sambhaji Rao Surve,Shankaran, ex-naval Commanders Vinod Kumar Jha and Vinod Rana,Raj Rani Jaiswal, Mukesh Bajaj, Wing Commander (retired) S KKohli, Kashyap Kumar and Kulbushan Parashar.

The case against these nine persons was registeredunder various sections of the Official Secrets Act (OSA) andSection 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.

Barring Jaiswal, Bajaj and Kashyap Kumar, chargesheets have been filed against all the others. The CBI hasprepared documents for closing the case against the trio asnothing could be found against them.

The CBI had in 2006 sought arrest of Shankaran afterhe was spotted in Britain. However, he managed to give a slipto the London Police after a UK court issued an arrestwarrant against him.

Shankaran, who has been chargesheeted by the CBI in2006, did not return to Britain after the arrest warrant forhim was issued on April 10, 2007.