CBI raids Airtel, Vodafone offices widening spectrum issue
21 Nov 2011
The Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) raided the offices of Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Essar on Saturday, after the country's premier investigating body instituted a new case against these operators and former bureaucrats.
The raids are part of enquiry into issuance of additional spectrum to these companies, and not related to the ongoing spectrum scandal.
The searches were to probe alleged irregularities in 2G spectrum allocations that took place between 2001 and 2003 when the previous BJP-led NDA government was in power.
The CBI searched Vodafone's offices in Delhi and Mumbai and the Bharti Airtel headquarters in Gurgaon, New Delhi. This is a new case
The CBI also searched the residences of Shyamal Ghosh, the telecom secretary during Mahajan's time and J R Gupta, then director with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL). They have been accused abusing their official positions as public servants and entering into a criminal conspiracy with the two service providers.
"We would like to categorically state all the spectrum allotted to us from time to time has been strictly as per the stated government policy," the Bharti Airtel spokesperson said.
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