CBI Searches Premises Of Ex-IOA Prez Batra

| Updated: 18 July, 2022 10:40 pm IST

Narinder Dhruv Batra resigned as the president of the Indian Olympic Association and International Hockey Federation on Monday. He also resigned as a member of the International Olympic Committee

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday carried out searches at the premises of former Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Narinder Batra at five locations in Delhi and Jammu, officials said.

The searches were conducted after filing an FIR against him in an alleged corruption case, they said.

CBI spokesperson RC Joshi said that the agency registered a case against Batra, Cdr. RK Srivastava, then executive director, Hockey India (HI), Rajinder Singh, the then president, HI, Mohammad Mushtaque Ahmad, the then secretary general, HI, unknown officials of HI and unknown others for committing illegalities for renovation and furnishing of the office of president, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) during the year 2018.

He said that during searches at offices of HI and IOA in Delhi, residential premises of the Batra in New Delhi and Jammu led to the recovery of incriminating documents and records.

The official said that in 2018, Singh and Ahmad in conspiracy with Batra and Srivastava got executed the work of renovation and furnishing of the office of the President of IOA without prior approval of the Executive Board of Hockey India.

It was further alleged that in order to justify and cover up the fraudulent expenditure at the approval stage, the accused fabricated and falsified the records, the FIR said.

The CBI had received a complaint against Batra following which it started a preliminary enquiry in April this year.

It was alleged in the complaint that Rs 35 lakh of HI funds was used for Batra’s personal benefits, the officials said.