M A I N   N E W S

Railgate: Vijay Singla’s aide surrenders
Syed Ali Ahmed/TNS

New Delhi, May 7
Ajay Garg, a Panchkula-based close aide of Union Railway Minister PK Bansal's nephew and an alleged middleman in the Rs 10-crore bribery case, was today arrested after he surrendered before a Delhi court, which remanded him in CBI custody till May 9.

The CBI has seized the service record of Mahesh Kumar, the suspended Railway Board member who has been arrested on alleged charges of giving bribe to get lucrative post in the Board. Special CBI Judge Swarna Kanta Sharma allowed the custodial interrogation of Ajay Garg, who surrendered before the court after "coming to know through media reports that the CBI is searching for him in the alleged bribery case."

A close aide of Bansal's nephew Vijay Singla, Garg said in his application that "through media reports I came to know that I have been named as an accused in the alleged bribery case. I am voluntarily surrendering myself to cooperate with the CBI in the ongoing investigation." After the proceedings were over, the judge allowed CBI to briefly interrogate Garg in the courtroom itself.

The court also remanded Singla, Narain Rao Manjunath, Managing Director of GG Tronics India Pvt Ltd, and Sandeep Goyal, both businessmen and official contractor to the Railway Board, in CBI custody till May 9.

The agency submitted that their further custodial interrogation was required to know the source of Rs 2 crore which was to be paid to Singla by accused Mahesh Kumar.

On specific input, searches were carried out in Mumbai suburb Bhayander from where some property documents, which were removed from Kumar’s residence soon after his arrest, were recovered, said sources. Some jewellery items were also recovered.

The agency is examining the seized records to find out if there is any discrepancy in Kumar getting the post of Member (Staff) Railway Board and the additional charge of General Manager, Western Railway. At present, the agency is concentrating on the latest service record, sources said.