Forensic examinations of around 1,000 telephonic conversations, intercepted by the CBI in its surveillance project spanning over two months based on which the agency registered a case in the railway bribery scandal, have ascertained the identity of the persons who are part of the conversations, including Vijay Singla, nephew of the former railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal.
Initially, some of these tapped conversations had also been used by the CBI to seek the remand of the accused arrested in connection with the case in the bribery scandal.
According to sources these calls were among four key players in the bribery scandal and they included — Vijay Singla, Mahesh Kumar (suspended member of the Railway Board), alleged middlemen Manjunath and Sandeep Goyal. Mr Singla was arrested in Chandigarh on May 3 for allegedly accepting `90 lakh in cash from Manjunath, conduit of Mr Kumar, promoted as Member (Staff) in the Railway Board and trying to get a lucrative position as Member (Electrical). The CBI also arrested Mr Kumar.
Sources further said, “Scientific examinations have also confirmed that interceptions were genuine and unedited. They along with other corroborative evidence will be the crucial part of the chargehseet in the case which the agency is expected to file on July 3”. Report of the CFSL will certainly strengthen CBI case against the accused, including Singla, and others, sources added.
Mr Bansal may not be named as accused in the first chargesheet which will be filed by the agency, but his reference may be made and facts emerging from his interrogation may also form the contents of the chargesheet, sources said. However, they said agency is likely to keep open the probe into the alleged role of Mr Bansal and if it manages to gather evidence linking him with the money trail a supplementary chargesheet would be filed.
During interrogation, Mr Kumar told CBI sleuths that he paid `90 lakh as the initial amount of bribe only after Singla assured that Pawan Bansal has his consent to give him the additional charge of GM (Western Railways) in addition to Member Railway Board.
Mr Bansal had to resign from the Union Cabinet in the aftermath of the case involving his nephew, who is alleged to have been operating from his official residence.