Bulletproof jackets scam 'bigger than Bofors'?

NEW DELHI: The case of a senior home ministry official caught taking Rs 10 lakh as bribe for the purchase of bulletproof jackets turned dramatic on Thursday, with the alleged bribe-giver claiming in court that there was a "cartel"in the MHA that received kickbacks, and that the scam was bigger than Bofors.

As the CBI sought custody of IRES officer R S Sharma and two other accused, one of them—R K Gupta, director of a Delhi company producing defence equipment— claimed he was framed for exposing the "cartel".

"This is an act of revenge. I and my wife studied at IITs. We are paying the price for blowing the lid off the scam. This is bigger than Bofors. We will have more (Hemant) Karkares if such elements are allowed to have their say in the decision-making process,"Gupta, who allegedly bribed Sharma, said.

The CBI prosecutor said, "We are not a puppet investigative agency. CBI does not work under the MHA, and it carries on the probe independently. We have a CD of their taped conversation and this court can hear it. The accused is saying he is a whistle-blower, but at the same time he was bribing the accused official."

Additional sessions judge O P Saini gave the CBI two days to question the accused. "I deem it proper that the accused are remanded in custody in the interest of investigation," he said.