Bribes For Visas: Must Be A Record, Tweets Karti P Chidambaram As CBI Raids 9 Places Including One In Odisha

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is conducting searches at 10 locations across Mumbai, Chennai, Punjab, Karnataka and Odisha, including residence and office of former finance minister P Chidambaram’s son Karti,  in connection with a new case of illegal gratification registered against him, sources said on Tuesday.

The Congress MP is accused of facilitating visas of 250 Chinese nationals, who were supposed to work for the Talwandi Sabo Power Limited project in Punjab, after receiving Rs 50 lakh ‘bribe’.

According to a CBI release, cases have been registered against Karti P Chidambaram of Chennai, S Bhaskararaman (a close associate) also based in Chennai, Vikas Makharia, representing Mansa (Punjab) based private company, Talwandi Sabo Power Limited, Mansa (Punjab), M/s Bell Tools Limited, Mumbai (Maharashtra), and few other public servants and private persons.

“The new case in which raids are being conducted is related to foreign remittance and companies and it was registered a few days back. The dealing took place between 2010 and 2014. During this period funds were received and sent abroad by or at the instruction of Chidambaram,” a source told IANS.

The raids started at 8 am and are continuing at three locations in Chennai, as many in Mumbai, and one each in Karnataka (Koppal), Punjab (Mansa), Odisha (Jharsuguda) and Delhi, CBI officials said.

Karti too took to Twitter saying, “I have lost count, how many times has it been?”

I have lost count, how many times has it been? Must be a record.

— Karti P Chidambaram (@KartiPC) May 17, 2022

In 2017, the CBI had conducted raids at 14 locations linked to Chidambaram and son Karti in connection with criminal misconduct in grant of FIPB approval.