Adarsh housing scam: CBI arrests two more for alleged irregularities

MUMBAI: The CBI arrested suspended IAS officer Jayraj Phatak and former IAS officer Ramanad Tiwari in the Adarsh scam on Tuesday evening.

Both were arrested after about seven hours of questioning that took place at CBI HQ in Mumbai. They will be produced in the special court on Wednesday afternoon, a CBI official said.

According to CBI officials, they were arrested after initial investigation indicated to their role in getting clearances for Adarsh housing society and receiving benefits in return.

With these arrests the number of bureaucrats arrested in this scam has gone up to three and the total number of persons arrested to nine.

Jayraj Phatak was posted as member secretary in the development board for the rest of Maharashtra before he was suspended in the first week of March. Retired IAS officer Ramanand Tiwari served in the urban development department for many years under the then chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh when the permissions to the controversial Adarsh society were granted.

CBI had earlier arrested IAS officer Pradeep Vyas, Major General (Retd) AR Kumar and Major General (Retd)TK Kaul. Vyas served as collector of Mumbai when the scam happened. Pradeep Vyas was the first serving IAS official to be arrested in this case.

The agency also arrested former defence estates officer and secretary of the housing society RC Thakur, retired brigadier MM Wanchoo, former Congress MLC Kanhaiyalal Gidwani and former deputy secretary of the urban development department PV Deshmukh.