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CBI raids Reliance premises in Balu-Romesh Sharma case

Reliance Industries Limited today confirmed the raids by the Central Bureau of Investigation at its offices and residences in Bombay and Delhi.

A CBI team visited various Reliance offices and residences in Bombay and Delhi in connection with a case registered under the Official Secrets Act in Delhi against a company official, V Balasubramaniam, a Reliance spokesperson said.

Emphasising on a full, free and fair investigations, the spokesperson in a statement said that allegations and misinformation were continuously unleashed against the Reliance group on the media by our known corporate rivals.

Reliance has never obtained or used any documents or information covered by the provisions of the OSA for any purpose, the RIL official said and added that nothing incriminating was found in the course of these searches in Bombay and Delhi.

It could not be ascertained immediately the number of premises raided or the nature of seizures made, if any.

The case had been handed over to the CBI earlier this month following recovery of some government documents and computer floppies by the Delhi police during searches in the office and residential premises of Balasubramanian in New Delhi.

Balasubramanian had, however, denied that any papers relating to Union Cabinet decisions or any other secret official documents had been seized from him by the police.

The police had resorted to the move in the wake of the arrest of Dubai-based gangster Dawood Ibrahim's aide Romesh Sharma on various complaints, including fraudulent acquisition of a helicopter. Papers relating to the helicopter were reportedly found in the possession of Balasubramanian.

The CBI is also investigating two cases against Romesh Sharma, including his role in getting a passport to Dawood Ibrahim's mother after the Bombay blasts.

The Reliance scrip witnessed volatile trading at country's premier stock markets -- the National Stock Exchange and the Bombay Stock Exchange -- today.

RIL scrip opened at Rs 121, touched at day's high of Rs 123.80 before closing at Rs 119.60, showing a net loss of Rs 1.70 from the previous close of Rs 121.30 at the BSE. About 12.74 million RIL shares have changed hands at the BSE while 18.79 million shares changed hands at the NSE.

UNI

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