CBI raids Congress leader P Chidambaram, son Karti's properties

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday conducted raids at nine locations, including homes and offices of former Union minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram in Chennai and Delhi.

The raids are on at seven locations.

As per reports, the CBI searched the 80 Lodhi Estate residence of Mr. Chidambaram this morning. The CBI team questioned the staff present at his house and took some papers with them, sources said.

According to sources, the investigative agency has registered a fresh case against his son Karti Chidambaram for allegedly receiving illegal gratification. Sources say that the Congress MP had received ₹ 50 lakh alleged bribe to facilitate visas of 250 Chinese nationals for a power project in Punjab in lieu of illegal gratification between 2010-14.

Kartik Chidambaram shared a cryptic tweet after the CBI searches at his premises. "I have lost count, how many times has it been? Must be a record," he said.

Karti Chidambaram is being probed in several cases, including the one relating to Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to INX Media for receiving foreign funds to the tune of ₹ 305 crores when his father P Chidambaram was the finance minister.

Sources say, during the course of the investigation in the INX media case, the agency recovered some documents which unearthed this case.

The CBI registered a corruption case in the matter on May 15, 2017. Thereafter, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had lodged a money laundering case. The economic offences watchdog also registered a PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) case based on an FIR by the CBI.

Karti Chidambaram was arrested by CBI in February 2018 and he was granted bail after a month in March.