The CBI has registered an FIR against former Union Textile Minister Shankarsinh Vaghela and six others including the then Chairman-cum-Managing Director of National Textile Corporation for sale of prime property in Mumbai allegedly at “throwaway prices” to a private company.
The CBI sources said FIR has been registered against Mr. Vaghela, former NTC CMD Ramachandran Pillai, and others for allegedly causing a Rs 709 crore loss to the exchequer through the sale of NTC land in Parel.
Soon after registering the FIR, the CBI on Wednesday started searches at nine locations in four cities — New Delhi, Gandhinagar, Mumbai and Kolkata — including the residence of Mr. Vaghela and others which are still going on.
The sources refused to give further details about search operation as it is still going on.
The FIR comes after over an year-long Preliminary Enquiry into the matter, the sources said.
Mr. Vaghela, a senior Congress leader, is the Leader of Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly and also a former Chief Minister of the state.
