Arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari, who is under the scanner of multiple investigating agencies, is feared to have fled the country. It is suspected that Bhandari managed to reach Nepal and from there escaped to london, said sources, claiming that the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch, which is probing an Official Secrets Act case against Bhandari has sent him several notices but he has remained underground.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police on Thursday ordered an internal enquiry into the mysterious disappearance of Bhandari. Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime Ravindra Singh Yadav said they have checked all ports and there is strong possibility that Bhandari is hiding somewhere in India only and police teams are on his trail.
Sources suspect Bhandari might have reached london via Nepal, evading a look out notice issued against him. Bhandari was earlier stopped from boarding a london-bound British Airways flight in June.
He was booked under sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act (OSA) by Delhi Police in October after the Income Tax sleuths recovered confidential defence documents during the search operation on his premises in April.
However, Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch, Ravindra Yadav said, “His look Out Circular (lOC) was opened long time ago as per legal procedure. He may be in India and we are on his look out. We have sent him several notices but he has gone underground and did not join probe so far,”
The Joint CP added that the Income Tax had raided Bhandari’s residence in south Delhi’s Defence Colony in April and recovered confidential defence related documents. “The OSA case was registered against Bhandari and his aide in New Delhi district’s Parliament Street Police. After a month of probe by the local police, the case was transferred to Crime Branch in November,” said Yadav.
When asked if Bhandari might have left the country by immigration channels, Yadav denied saying that they have probed that aspect and it was verified that Bhandari did not leave by immigration channels.
The I-T investigation wing during the raids on April 27 at his residence had found emails, linking Bhandari with Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra, which was later denied by Vadra’s lawyers. Sources said although Bhandari had appeared before the Income Tax, he was evasive on alleged financial links tied to the UK, UAE and Dubai.
The investigators are awaiting response to collect details about the companies Bhandari used to channelise alleged slush funds to buy properties abroad.
Documents recovered from Bhandari’s premises reveals that he made investment in two properties in Dubai and london using companies registered in tax haven countries. The agencies are likely to question individuals linked with Bhandari.
Bhandari, investigators suspect, is involved in Indian Air Force’s basic trainer aircraft purchase for which a deal worth around Rs 4,000 crore was signed during previous UPA regime in 2012.
The investigators are probing tax evasion cases into Bhandari’s companies ‘Offset India Solutions Private limited’ and ‘Avaana Software and Services Private limited’. A source said they are also examining Micromet Ati India Private limited formed in 2010, which is also under the scanner for alleged tax evasion.