Sisodia confesses to destroying two mobile phones: Sources
Darpan News Desk IANS, 18 May, 2023 11:36 AM
New Delhi, May 18 (IANS) Delhi's former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has reportedly confessed to destroying two mobile phones which were sought by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam case.
On July 22, 2022, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) directed the CBI to initiate a case in the excise scam. Sources claim that from that day onwards, Sisodia started using a new mobile phone.
While probing the matter, the CBI learnt that Sisodia had been using three different mobile phones between January 1, 2020 and August 19, 2022.
On August 19, 2022, the probe agency conducted search operation and sezied one phone from Sisodia's possession.
"We later discovered that the mobile phone seized from Sisodia's possession had been used by him from July 22, 2022. This was the date when we were instructed by the MHA to initiate the case in the excise matter," a source said.
During the interrogation, Sisodia reportedly confessed to the probe agency that he had destroyed two mobile phones. "Prior to this, I was using two cell phones which have been destroyed," a source quoted Sisodia as saying.
The source stated that a Section 91 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Cr.PC) notice was also served to Sisodia regarding the two mobile phones, and in response, he admitted to the same fact.
"This willful disposal of handsets containing incriminating evidence related to the policy is another incriminating circumstance against Sisodia," the source said, quoting the charge sheet.
Sisodia is currently in custody, and his several bail pleas have been dismissed by the court.
The police have also recovered an illegal weapon and live cartridge from the criminal. The accused has been identified as Aakash, a native of Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh.
The Punjab Police informed Delhi Police that the location of one of the phone numbers was traced to Delhi, and that the accused were changing their locations frequently. Acting on the tip-off, Delhi Police followed the leads obtained through technical surveillance and digital footprints.
SSP Mohali, Vivek Sheel Soni said, the two accused identified as Gagandeep Singh alias Gaagi and Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi are residents of Dabbwali in Sirsa district of Haryana.
The Punjab police will take him by a bulletproof car which will be escorted by a dozen cars full of cops. More than 50 police personnel will escort the vehicles to make sure no untoward incident takes place.
Badal said immediately after becoming the Chief Minister, Mann "had not only sublet governance of the state" to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal but had also failed to conduct a thanksgiving tour of his constituency as well as the Sangrur parliamentary seat that had elected him to the Lok Sabha twice.
