CWG scam: CBI seizes properties of 3 absconding accused

The Central Bureau of Investigation today began attaching the properties of three accused in connection with irregularities in the award of a Commonwealth Games contract to a Swiss firm, allegedly causing a loss of over Rs95 crore to the exchequer.

In its charge sheet, CBI has accused Anil Madan and P D Arya of Faridabad-based Gem International and A K Reddy of Hyderabad-based A K R Constructions of conniving with the games organising committee officials to get the contract awarded to Swiss Timing for Rs157.62 crore, ignoring the bid from a Spanish firm, which was Rs62.01 crore.

The three accused, however, could not be traced by the agency, following which it sought permission to attach their properties from the special CBI court in New Delhi looking into games-related cases, which recently granted them permission.

Teams of CBI sleuths reached the premises of the accused at Faridabad and Hyderabad and started the proceedings this morning, sources in the agency told Indian Express.

The CBI had alleged that Madan and Arya conspired with the organising committee officials for getting the timing, scoring and results system contract awarded to Swiss Timing and received a payment of nearly Rs23.21 crore from it for perfunctory services.

"In this endeavour, they also conspired with the chairman and managing director of a Hyderabad-based construction company, which raised highly inflated and bogus invoices for Rs11.28 crore for temporary cabling work, in order to justify the huge payment received from the Swiss-based company," a CBI spokesperson had said earlier.