CBI seizes computer, bank papers from Hooda’s house

Sunit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, September 3

A CBI team raided a house, a farmhouse and a camp office of former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda here today.

The focus was on Hooda’s house located near D-Park in the heart of the town, where members of the team stayed for about eight hours.

The nine-member team, led by CBI SP Ram Gopal, took away two sealed boxes. They remained tight-lipped on the purpose of the raid, their findings and contents of the boxes. As per Hooda’s aide, the CBI team took away a CPU, bank documents and a few other papers.

The team reached Rohtak early in the morning and raided Hooda’s camp office and his farmhouse on the Gohana road in the outskirts of the town. The sleuths also visited a petrol station owned by Hooda’s nephew. Around 8 am, the team reached Hooda’s house near D-Park, which is occupied by the family of Hooda’s nephew Bittu.

The CBI sleuths quizzed Bittu and other members of family. They examined bank papers, property-related documents and other papers for several hours. Curiously, a locksmith was called in the house during the raid.

As the local police learnt about the raid, they deployed police and RAF personnel outside Hooda’s house. The personnel cordoned off the area by installing barricades.

Congress MLA from Kalanaur Shakuntala Khatak, former Rohtak MLA Bharat Bhushan Batra and other local leaders tried to enter the house while the raid was in progress. The police stopped them, but they were eventually allowed to enter the house after an altercation.

Batra said the sleuths took away a CPU and some documents. He said a few officials from a bank and BSNL accompanied the CBI team as independent witnesses.