Former Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Secretary General Lalit Bhanot and OC Director General V K Verma were on Wednesday arrested by the CBI in connection with alleged irregularities in the Rs 107 crore deal inked with a Swiss timing firm.
Official sources said Bhanot and Verma who were earlier called for questioning at the CBI headquarters here have been put under arrest.
"They were called for questioning by Deputy Superintendent of Police Girish Bharadwaj in connection with the Swiss Time Keeping case," a CBI official requesting anonymity said.
Bhanot and Verma had earlier been booked under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) of IPC and various sections of Prevention of Corruption Act, along with Switzerland-based firm Swiss Timing Ltd and other unknown persons.
Sources said Bhanot reached the CBI Headquarters this morning and he was questioned in connection with details relating to the contract given to the Swiss time-keeping company. Verma joined him in questioning soon after.
A CBI spokesperson had earlier said that the two officers had abused their official position and entered into criminal conspiracy with the foreign firm and other unknown persons "to cheat the government in awarding contract to the said company for acquiring Timing, Scoring and Result (TSR) System at exorbitant rates of Rs 107 crore."
He had said the expression of interest (EOI) was published announcing that only the Swiss firm met the laid down criteria.
"Subsequently, request for proposal (RFP) was issued on October 1, 2009. This was surreptitiously amended on October 4, 2009, thereby making the bids even more restrictive. In response to RFP, two bids were received. However, a Spain-based firm was allegedly wrongfully eliminated at the pre-qualification bid stage," the spokesman had said.