Visa scam: Karti Chidambaram's aide S Bhaskararaman sent to 4-day CBI custody by Delhi court

The Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday remanded Congress leader Karti Chidambaram's associate S Bhaskararaman to four days of CBI custody. Bhaskararaman, a chartered accountant was arrested by the CBI in Chennai at around 11 pm on Tuesday, after searches at multiple locations across the country. He was brought to Delhi on Wednesday after a Chennai court permitted CBI his transit remand.

As per the CBI, Bhaskararaman was the frontman for Karti and allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs.50 lakh to facilitate visas for 263 Chinese nationals in violation of the norms of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Mansa company representative Vikas Makharia had approached Chidambaram through Bhaskararaman and thereafter they devised a back-door way to defeat the purpose of the ceiling (maximum of project visas permissible to the company’s plant).

On Thursday, the CBI told the court that Bhaskararaman had been 'non-cooperative'. The agency also informed the court that a property sale deed recovered during the searches revealed that the power of attorney was in the name of Bhaskararaman. The property was bought by Karti Chidambaram and his mother.

The CBI also told the court that they want to investigate a few email accounts as well and required Bhaskararaman's custody.