Delhi Police rule out involvement of 2 MPs in trafficking case

New Delhi, Jul 22: Delhi Police today gave clean chit to two Parliamentarians whose name surfaced during probe into an alleged case of trafficking of women from Central Asian countries while investigation is underway into the role of two cricketers.

"Police are investigating all angles of the case. The probe so far has not revealed any role or complicity of any Parliamentarian in it," DCP (South) Ishwar Singh said.

62-year-old Pritindra Nath Sanyal was arrested on Wednesday on charges of trafficking after documents indicating his involvement in the illegal activity were found during raids at his residences by Income Tax authorities.

During investigation, it was found that Sanyal had sent messages to government officials and other senior functionaries, posing as Member of Parliament and top bureaucrat for getting favours in certain business deals. Sanyal had used the names and "fake" letterheads of the two MPs but no complicity has been found on their part, Singh said.

Meanwhile, police have also recovered photographs and other material showing Sanyal's alleged accomplice Col Ajay Ahlawat (retd) with two Indian cricketers. "Investigation is going on," Singh said when asked about the role of the two cricketers in a late night briefing at Delhi Police headquarters here. Ahlawat has not been detained yet but he is being questioned by the police, the DCP said.

The matter came to the fore after Sanyal's residences in Safdarjung Enclave and Vasant Kunj here and also in Lucknow were raided by Income Tax authorities in June. Documentary evidence in the form of WhatsApp messages and SMSes were seized from his residence at Safadarjung Enclave, he said. The IT officials had rescued a Russian national, aged about 23 years, from his residence in Safdarjung Enclave.

The SMSes and WhatsApp data of the woman's mobile phone indicated that she was being kept against her will... Her travel documents including passport were allegedly taken away by the accused.

The IT raid had also led to recovery of copies of passports of other foreign nationals as well as phone numbers of dozens of women belonging to Central Asian countries from the accused's residence. Messages exchanged between accused Sanyal and his associates had revealed financial transactions related to foreign women.

PTI