Journalist Upendra Rai held after dubious transactions worth crores detected
New Delhi, May 3: The CBI on Thursday arrested senior journalist Upendra Rai for dubious transactions in his accounts to the tune of over Rs 100 crore during 2017-2018 and also using false information to obtain access to sensitive areas through Aerodrome Entry Pass (AEP) for all airports across the country.
Rai, who was taken into custody here and was being questioned, is accused of committing the offence in connivance with the officials of aviation company Air One Aviation Pvt Ltd and some public servants of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed an FIR on Tuesday naming Upendra Rai, Air One Aviation Pvt Ltd, its Chief Security Officer Prasun Roy, some unidentified public servants of BACS and others.
The agency on Thursday also searched eight places in Delhi, Noida, Lucknow and Mumbai in connection with the case.
Rai, owner of Printlines Media Group and formerly employed with Tehelka, Roy, some public servants and other private persons were questioned by the CBI at its headquarters here, a CBI official said.
The CBI has found that in 2017, Rai's bank accounts show credit of Rs 79 crore with several transactions of over Rs one lakh each, while in the same period, the accounts reflect debit amount of Rs 78.51 crore.
Rai, the CBI said, has purchased a fleet of cars out of the ill-gotten money. "It is also learnt that he has received Rs 16 crore in one year from shell companies for bribing or fixing case in Income Tax and that he has received about Rs 6.5 crore from Sahara India in one year."
The CBI said that two persons -- Rahul Sharma, a resident of Palam in west Delhi, and Sanjay Snehi, a resident of Laxmi Nagar in east Delhi-- assist Rai to park the ill-gotten money.
A resident of Greater Kailash in south Delhi, Rai is also accused conspiring with Roy and others with an intent to obtain AEPs on false information for gaining access to the restricted areas of airports in India.
The CBI FIR said that Rai managed to get the first AEP in January 2017 showing himself as a permanent employee of Air One to gain access at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. He renewed the pass in April 2017 before its expiry after 90 days.
In June 2017, he applied for permanent AEP and managed to get it with its validity upto December 2018, it said.
"Air One sponsored Upendra Rai's name as its employee whenever he applied for the AEPs and forwarded his applications to the BCAS, which in-turn forwarded these applications to the Delhi International Airport Ltd without verifying his genuineness."
Rai also managed to get all India airport AEP with the help of Roy by falsely showing himself as Director Quality Control of Air One, said the FIR, noting he was not technically qualified and his name was not approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation for the post
"In his application for issuance of Press Information Bureau (PIB) card for the year 2018, Upendra Rai has not declared himself as employee of Air One," the FIR said.
The CBI also found that Rai had paid an amount of Rs 13,92,000 on January 2, through his account, to Airone Charters Pvt Ltd, the parent firm of Air One Aviation Pvt Ltd.
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Two FIRs lodged against Mithun Chakraborty for 'provocative' speech
Kolkata, Nov 6: Two FIRs have been lodged against actor-turned-politician Mithun Chakraborty for allegedly making provocative statements during a BJP event in Salt Lake area near Kolkata last month, police said on Wednesday.
The complaints pertain to Chakraborty's speech on October 27 at the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC) in Salt Lake, during a BJP programme attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was in Kolkata to launch the party's West Bengal membership drive.
The first FIR was filed at the Bidhannagar South police station based on a complaint by an individual, while the second was lodged at Bowbazar police station.
"We have started an investigation into the case," a senior officer of Bidhannagar police said.
Shah was also present at the programme, which was organised to kick off the West Bengal leg of the BJP's membership drive. Shah had also felicitated Chakraborty for being honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award this year.
Although Chakraborty was unavailable for comment, BJP state president and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar described the FIRs a result of "vendetta politics.".
Majumdar alleged that the TMC government "has once again used the police to unfairly target well-known actor and senior BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty".
He accused the chief minister of employing such tactics "to serve political interests" and claimed that the state government's actions were part of an ongoing attempt to discredit political opponents.
"There is nothing provocative in his speech. These are nothing but attempts to intimidate him by using police as a political tool," he said.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh dubbed the BJP's allegations as baseless.
"The allegations of political vendetta are baseless. He shouldn't have made such provocative remarks. The law will take its own course," he said.
Chakraborty, who received India's highest film honour, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, earlier this year, had asserted on October 27 that the 'masnad' (throne) of West Bengal would belong to the BJP after the 2026 assembly elections, promising to do whatever it takes to achieve the goal.
While speaking at the programme, Chakraborty, a BJP leader, said, "In 2026, the 'masnad' will be ours, and we will do everything to achieve the goal."
In an apparent reference to TMC MLA Humayun Kabir's communal remarks aimed at BJP workers during the Lok Sabha elections, Chakraborty had allegedly made provocative remarks.
Chakraborty cautioned that no one should attempt to intimidate saffron party voters into abstaining from voting in the next assembly elections.
He called upon the booth-level workers of his party to resist any such attempts.
