NEW DELHI: Congress president
Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused PM Narendra Modi’s “blue-eyed boy” in the CBI of being responsible for diluting the lookout notice against liquor baron
Vijay Mallya, which helped him flee the country, a charge agency dismissed as “ baseless”.
Rahul alleged that A K Sharma, a Gujarat-cadre IPS officer with CBI, played a key role in weakening the lookout notice against Mallya. The Congress chief also alleged that Sharma played a key role in the escape plans of fugitive diamond traders
Nirav Modi and Mehul
Choksi.
“CBI jt. director, AK Sharma, weakened Mallya’s “Look Out” notice, allowing Mallya to escape. Mr Sharma, a
Gujarat cadre officer, is the PM’s blue-eyed-boy in CBI. The same officer was in charge of Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi’s escape plans. Ooops…investigation”, Rahul said on
Twitter.
Later, the CBI termed the allegations “baseless” and asserted that the decision was taken at appropriate level as “part of a process and not by any individual”. AK Sharma is presently posted as additional director (policy and anti-corruption unit).
The CBI spokesperson in a statement said, “Some baseless allegations have been made by certain individuals against a senior CBI officer. As has been stated earlier, the decision to change the LOC against Mallya was taken because at the time there was not sufficient grounds for CBI to detain and arrest him.”
“CBI received complaint against Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi from PNB almost a month after they had left the country. Therefore the question of any CBI officer having any hand in their fleeing the country does not arise,” he said.
