M A I N   N E W S

CBI sends team to London
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, July 27 — The Income Tax Department has so far opened seven bank lockers in Delhi and two in Patiala belonging to cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu, even as the CBI sent its team to London to question the prime accused in the match-fixing case, Sanjeev Chawla, and cricketer Ajay Sharma.

Sources in the IT Department said the raid at the residence of Sidhu and the opening of lockers had revealed several incriminating documents and the cricketer’s huge disclosure running into several lakhs of rupees under the VDIS scheme.

Stylish middle-order batsman Ajay Jadeja had also disclosed huge sums of money under the VDIS, the sources added.

The Director-General of Income Tax (Investigation), Mr S.C. Parija, said the process of opening of lockers and scrutiny of documents was continuing.

“Seven lockers have so far been opened and two lockers of Sidhu were opened in Patiala. The lockers belonging to Kapil Dev have not yet been opened,” he said.

So far the IT department had opened the lockers of Manoj Prabhakar, associates of cricketers and some bookies, the sources said.

Mr Parija, however, refused to state the contents found in these lockers or the incriminating documents.

Meanwhile, CBI sources said a two-member CBI team left for London to question Sanjeev Chawla and Ajay Sharma.

The team comprising Joint Director R N Sawani and Deputy Inspector-General Y. K. Singh left late last night for London where they would also seek the cooperation of the Scotland Yard police, the sources said.

A two-member team of the Scotland Yard police represented by Sergeants Martin Hawkins and Hulbraid had visited India on May 4 and had met CBI officials and provided telephone numbers of Indian bookies whose names surfaced during their investigation. The CBI team is likely to record the statement of Ajay Sharma, who is alleged to have had links with the bookies. Sharma has denied the charge.