Ratul Puri incommunicable & witnesses fear him: ED to court

 The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday told a Delhi court that industrialist Ratul Puri, Kamal Nath's nephew, was "incommunicable" for the last two days and people "fear" him.

"Ratul Puri is incommunicable for the last two days, all his phones are switched off. He is not reporting to us. People have expressed fear to the investigating officer. Several witnesses have said how Puri was trying to influence them," Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) D.P. Singh told the court of Special CBI Judge Arvind Kumar.

The court posted the matter for further arguments on Thursday.

During the hearing, Singh said, "Confrontation can't be possible in an environment of fear. They (witnesses) feel if they come out they would be bumped off."

Responding the defence counsel's claim that Puri is cooperative and has joined the probe more than 25 times, the ED said, "Merely coming and not stating facts is not cooperation."

"We have called him only after receiving credible information. This shows there is no malice on our part," the ED said and added it had clinching evidence of Puri influencing the witness and also tampering with evidence.

"We sincerely feel K.K. Khosla (a witness) is somewhere and can be brought back," the ED said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the ED had claimed Puri was "highly influential" and it was apprehensive that one of the witnesses (Khosla) had been killed.

"On July 26, he came at 11.30 a.m. though he was called at 2 p.m. He asked who all were there. When he was asked to be taken to IT for cloning of his phone, he first said there was nothing in his phone and later said 'we'll see' and left the ED office without signing (the register)," Singh said while submitting the incident report of the said day before the court.

"We went after him as he had not signed. Puri's and his driver's phones were switched off. Later, when we enquired his driver about his whereabout he said Puri made a call saying '100 per cent gadbad hai' and switched the phone off and went to meet his lawyers. And the next day there is anticipatory bail," the agency said.

The ED claimed to have CCTV footage that showed him going in and out with his lawyers.

Puri is under the scanner of probe agencies for allegedly receiving kickbacks in AgustaWestland deal through his companies. The probe agency has alleged that accounts associated with firms, owned and operated by Puri, were used to receive kickbacks and launder money in AgustaWestland the deal. IANS