New Delhi, November 30
Widening its ambit of probe into the financial irregularities related to the Commonwealth Games, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today conducted searches at 11 places and booked two top former Orgainsing Committee officials.

CBI sleuths, probing the alleged irregularities into the Rs 107-crore OC contract to a Swiss firm to procure the time scoring board, swooped down on the residences and offices of ex-General Secretary Lalit Bhanot, ex-Director General VK Verma and former Joint Director General (Coordination) RK Sacheti this morning and carried on with their searches late in the evening. Bhanot and Verma, two top aides of Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi, were booked under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), and 420 (cheating) of the IPC. A case under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act was also slapped on them.

The agency claimed that “voluminous incriminating” documents have been recovered during the searches.

“It is alleged that the accused officers abused their official position and entered into a criminal conspiracy with a Switzerland-based company and other unknown persons to cheat the Government of India in awarding contract to the said company for acquiring Timing, Scoring and Result (TSR) System at exorbitant rates of Rs 107 crore thereby causing huge loss to the government,” the spokesman said.

The searches were carried out in Gurgaon, Noida and the national capital, including at the OC headquarters, the sources said.

This is the third FIR in connection with alleged irregularities in CWG projects. The CBI had earlier registered two FIRs in connection with ‘irregularities’ in Queen's Baton Relay held in London last year and had arrested three former Games officials (TS Darbari, Sanjay Mohindroo and M. Jayachandran).

Speaking to mediapersons outside his residence, Bhanot maintained that they were extending all support to the investigators and have nothing to hide. “Everything is transparent and we have nothing to hide. We have provided them (CBI) with whatever files or papers they wanted to see,” said Bhanot, adding that all the decisions related to the Games were taken by the board and not by any one person.

Verma, former commercial director of Air India, has already been questioned by the Enforcement Directorate a couple of times while Bhanot was also on their radar.

Kalmadi had yesterday claimed he had not committed any offence and was ready to answer all CBI questions.