Ashok Malhotra, alleged mastermind of the multi-crore land scam, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday.
NEW DELHI: Ashok Malhotra, alleged mastermind of the multi-crore land scam, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday after he surrendered at the Zee News office.
Several teams of CBI officials had been conducting raids across Delhi and other areas outside New Delhi in the past few days to nab Malhotra, who has been evading questioning despite being summoned by the agency to appear before it.
The agency had on Sunday secured a non-bailable warrant from a city court against the contractor. Special Judge SK Kaushik also asked the investigating agency to produce him before the court on or before August 14.
Claiming to be innocent, Malhotra told the channel, “I fear for my life, so I was hiding in Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh.” Malhotra said he does not own 52 cars, as reported by the CBI, but only 17 cars and six bikes. He dismissed allegations that he had amassed wealth worth over Rs100 crore.
Malhotra is accused of having entered into a criminal conspiracy with five Delhi Development Authority (DDA) officials and fraudulently acquiring plots meant for resettlement of slum dwellers in Dhirpur area during 2000-02. His links with Delhi Congress ministers will also be probed.
The CBI had registered a case against him on July 24 on the basis of the directions of the Delhi High Court and raids on his office and residence started on July 27.
“There is no case against me and my property is not more than 10 crore,” said Malhotra, adding that he did not have any political affiliations although he knows some political leaders.
“I have never met Sheila Dikshit and I do not have any relation with Rambabu Sharma,” Malhotra told the news channel.
The businessman, however, admitted that he knew MLAs Kunwar Karan Pal Singh and Surendra Singh Bittoo, who had helped acquire the VIP numbers for his cars. “I got the cars numbers on the basis of their recommendations,” he said.
Making a startling claim during the two-hour long interview at the Zee News studio, Malhotra said, “I also know some local BJP leaders.”
He challenged the CBI to make public the 5,500 documents of plots that were allegedly recovered during raids at his house.
“The CBI team manhandled my family members during the raid. I do not have papers for 5,500 plots. If the CBI has these documents then they should make them public.”
He added: “I will reveal everything when I am presented before the court. Malhotra will be presented before a local court on Tuesday morning.
The CBI claimed that it had information that Malhotra was planning to surrender. But senior officials admitted they were unaware that he would surrender at the office of a channel.
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