The 'Jerry' in Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, one of the key accused in the long-running Bofors case, may have outsmarted the Central Bureau of Investigation several times, but the 'Tom' in the agency is waiting for its chance.
The CBI has drawn a parallel between the Bofors case and the popular cartoon show -- Tom and Jerry -- and is hopeful that 'Tom' will one day catch 'Jerry'.
"I like Tom and Jerry cartoon show and police is like the cat while the criminals are like mice. So Tom never leaves Jerry," newly-appointed CBI Director Ashwani Kumar told PTI in response to a question whether the agency will give up its pursuit of Quattrocchi.
Quattrocchi, who was detained in Malaysia and released last in Argentina, is wanted by the CBI in the Rs 64-crore Bofors kickback scam of early 1990s.
To a question whether the CBI had drawn a blank in seeking his extradition from the two countries after lengthy legal battles, the CBI Director said: "I am in the game of Tom and Jerry and I have to do my job."
To a question that a substantial amount of taxpayers' had been spent on the case and that if the time had come to wind it up, Kumar said: "I have a particular role to perform -- corrupt fellows run away from police and I have to catch them. This role I will continue to do.
"Our role is to catch criminals involved in scams and bring them before law," Kumar, a 1973 batch IPS officer from Himachal Pradesh cadre, said.
Quattrocchi, against whom the CBI has secured a Red Corner Notice from Interpol, was detained in Malaysia in early 2000 but was let off by a court in that country.
Last year, he was detained in Argentina but was again let off for want of proper documents.
His money -- three million euros and one million dollars -- which was frozen in a London bank in 2004, was also released in 2006 after legal officers told the CBI that the money could not be linked to the kickbacks in the Bofors case.
To a question, Kumar said he was not aware of any proposal from the Italians that Quattrocchi be tried in Italy.