‘Look-out notice’ against Mallya not changed by an officer individually: CBI

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday defended its Joint Director A K Sharma saying the ‘look-out circular notice’ against fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya was not changed “individually” but the decision was taken at the “appropriate level”.

The CBI also clarified that the change in the notice against Mallya was done as there was no sufficient ground to arrest or detain him.

“Some baseless allegations have been made by certain individuals against a senior CBI officer. The CBI has stated many times that the decision to change the notice against Mallya was taken because at the time there was not sufficient ground for the agency to detain or arrest him,” CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal said.

“The decision was taken at the appropriate level as a part of process and not individually by the officer as alleged,” he said.

The CBI’S response came soon after Congress President Rahul Gandhi accused Sharma, who is a Gujarat IPS officer, of helping Mallya to escape from the country.

Gandhi said that Sharma, who was posted in the CBI in 2015, was also “in charge of Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi’s escape plans”.

“CBI Joint Director AK Sharma, weakened Mallya’s ‘look-out’ notice, allowing Mallya to escape. Sharma, a Gujarat cadre officer, is the PM’S blueeyed boy in the CBI. The same officer was in charge of Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi’s escape plans. Ooops... investigation!” Gandhi tweeted.

Earlier this week, the Congress leader had accused Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley of “colluding” with Mallya to help him flee the country and demanded his resignation.

The agency official said that CBI received complaint against Nirav Modi and the owner of the Gitanjali Group from Punjab National Bank (PNB) almost a month after they had left the country. — IANS