On April 13, cops summoned BJP leader Kirit Somaiya and his son Neil in connection with a cheating case

The Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) called BJP leader Kirit Somaiya and his son Neil to appear in court on April 13 in connection with the suspected theft of monies gathered to prevent the decommissioning of the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. EOW searched for BJP leader Kirit Somaiya at his office and other locations with a three-person squad.

 

The summons was issued a day after a Mumbai sessions court denied Kirit Somaiya's pre-arrest bail request, according to sources. When the EOW officials arrived at Somaiya's Mulund home and business, the father-son combination was nowhere to be seen. Officials subsequently posted a notice at both places requesting that they come in for questioning.

 

While police maintain the father-son combo is currently untraceable, it is too soon to declare them absconding. The Trombay Police filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Kirit Somaiya and others last week, based on a complaint filed by an ex-serviceman who claimed that the father-son duo did not deposit the money raised from the public to preserve INS Vikrant.

 

Somaiya refuted the allegations in a video message posted to Twitter early Tuesday. On December 10, 2013, the BJP leader stated, they held a one-day symbolic demonstration to protest the aircraft carrier's cancellation, but only raised $11,000. To prevent him from challenging the Uddhav Thackeray government, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut has started floating "bogus claims" that 58 crores were gathered and routed without any documentary evidence ten years after the landmark event.

 

 

Image Courtesy: Twitter @fpjindia