Defence bribe deal case: Arms dealer Abhishek Verma arrested

New Delhi: The CBI on Friday arrested Naval War room leak case accused arms dealer Abhishek Verma in a separate case, for allegedly taking money from a Swiss defence supply company, Rheinmetall Air Defence, for an assurance to stall its blacklisting by the government.

Verma and his wife were questioned on Friday, and their premises raided on Thursday, by the CBI.

CBI sources said the duo was extensively interrogated regarding transactions of funds between Ganton India and Ganton USA, which are claimed to be his front companies.

The sleuths also asked him about his business relationships with estranged associate C Edmon Allen who has made several serious complaints against him with top officials of investigative agencies here and FBI in the US.

Those questioned today also included the then Director of the Swiss defence supply company Rheinmetall Air Defence AG (RAD) Mohinder Sahni and Arjun Arora, whose house was searched yesterday.

The CBI had booked Verma in a fresh case alleging that he took USD 5.30 lakh from RAD on the promise that he would use his influence to stall blacklisting proceedings initiated by the government against it after the Ordnance Factory Board scam surfaced.

After registering the case, 10 CBI teams, which were later joined by the criminal investigation unit of I-T, swooped down at 10 locations in Delhi and Gurgaon which included four premises of Verma, offices of RAD in Vasant Vihar and Satya Niketan and farm house of its Director Mohinder Sahni in Kishangarh and three associates of Verma, they said.

(With additional information from PTI)

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