The Delhi Police have been waiting for more than a year for a report from the Forensic Science Laboratory, Rohini, to file a chargesheet against arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari and initiate extradition proceedings, said a police officer on Friday.
Bhandari was booked by the Delhi police under the Official Secrets Act in October 2016 after Income Tax officials recovered a set of “sensitive” documents from his Defence Colony residence in April that year.
In London
He left the country soon after an FIR was registered. At present, he is staying in London. “The case was registered against him [Bhandari] in October 2016 and was transferred to the Crime Branch for investigation. We are following the standard procedure and have alerted all authorities concerned about the accused,” said the police officer.
Recently, at a press conference, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra referred to Bhandari’s alleged closeness with Robert Vadra, brother-in-law of Congress president Rahul Gandhi. He also alleged that, during the police raid at Bhandari’s residence, several secret defence documents were recovered.
“We seized computers, mobile phones and other electronic storage devices during the raid. It was all sent to the FSL for examination. We have been waiting for the forensic report for more than a year to finalise the case. We recently communicated to FSL officials to submit the report at the earliest,” said a police officer.
Red notice
The officer said that Bhandari has already been declared a proclaimed offender and a Red Corner Notice has been issued against him. “Bhandari’s passport has been revoked by the authorities and Look Out Circulars have been issued against him,” the officer added.