"Will seek information from centre regarding whereabouts of Kirit", says Dilip Walse-Patil

|HT|

Maharashtra home minister Dilip Walse-Patil said Tuesday he will seek information from the centre regarding the whereabouts of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya, who faces a cheating case in connection with money collected to save decommissioned aircraft carrier INS Vikrant from being scrapped. Patil, a senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader, said, "We will ask the centre where is the man (Kirit Somaiya) who has your security." Somaiya, a former parliamentarian, has been given 'Z' category security by the centre. Walse-Patil hit out at Somaiya, a harsh critic of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, and told reporters that while it is easy to level allegations against others, "… when allegations are made against you, you don't face it. This is not a sign of bravery."

Somaiya and his son Neil have been accused by Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut of misappropriation of over ₹57 crore from funds collected to save INS Vikrant.

Mumbai Police last week registered a case of cheating against father and son based on a complaint lodged by ex-army personnel. Raut claimed Monday the two might have fled the country in the wake of the allegation. He claimed Somaiya was hiding in either Gujarat or Goa, which is ruled by the BJP. "I fear till anticipatory bail is arranged… they may flee India. So, a lookout notice must be issued immediately," Raut declared.

On Tuesday, Mumbai police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) summoned Somaiya to be present before investigators for questioning. The summons came after his pre-arrest bail plea was rejected by a Mumbai court.

Kirit Somaiya earlier took to Twitter to hit back at the Shiv Sena.

"Ten years after the symbolic event of BJP, Shiv Sena's 'Save Vikrant' campaign, Sanjay Raut starts 58 crore laundering bogus allegations with no document or proof to divert or stop us. We will not stop exposing the scams of the Thackeray government! Will approach the Mumbai high court next!” Somaiya's tweet, roughly translated from Marathi, read.

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