The heat from the telecom scandal reached the door of former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran and his brother Kalanidhi on Monday. The CBI registered an FIR against the brothers and raided their premises in New Delhi and Chennai. The FIR also named Malaysian tycoon T Ananda Krishnan and the director of Astro Networks,Ralph Marshall. The CBI will summon all four men for questioning before sending a letter rogatory to Malaysia to seek legal assistance,officials said. Nine premises,including the homes and offices of the Marans,Krishnan and Marshall were raided. Investigators said they had found evidence against them at the offices of Sun Direct TV Pvt Ltd owned by the Marans Astro All Asia Networks Plc and Krishnans Maxis Communications. Raids were also carried out at the Hyderabad premises of Suneeta Reddy,who was chairperson of Aircel in 2005,and owns 26 per cent stake in the company. The CBI said the FIR,registered under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Indian Penal Code,was filed on the complaint of former Aircel CEO C Sivasankaran. The statement of Dayanidhis personal secretary,recorded by the agency,is part of the FIR. It is alleged that as telecom minister,Maran had played a role in Maxiss takeover of Aircel in return for investments made in Sun TV through Astro. Sivasankaran has alleged coercion and a deliberate delay in the grant of telecom licence to Aircel. CBI has refuted the first allegation,but has found evidence to back the second claim. Maran is alleged to have granted 14 licences to Dishnet Wireless (Aircel) during his tenure as telecom minister. In its recent status report filed to the Supreme Court,CBI said that during Marans tenure there was deliberate delay in providing the letter of intent to Sivasankaran. According to CBIs FIR,a Maxis Group media company,Astro All Asia Networks,through South Asia Entertainment Holding Ltd,invested Rs 630 crore in Sun Direct TV Pvt Ltd owned by Dayanidhi Marans brother Kalanidhi Maran. The group invested Rs 630 crore for a 20 per cent stake in Sun Direct,when Kalanidhi allocated 80 per cent of the shares to himself at just Rs 10 per share. Sources said that Kalanidhis firm then had not even rolled out direct-to-home services but was being valued at Rs 2,700 crore. Investigators believe that Sun TV overvalued itself to conceal the alleged kickbacks received from Maxis against the spectrum licence granted to the Maxis-owned Aircel. Maxis Communications has a 74 per cent stake in Aircel,while 26 per cent is owned by Sindya Securities and Investments,where Suneeta Reddy and her family are said to be stakeholders. The CBI during the raids claimed to have seized several financial documents. Sources said investigators were also looking into the Maxis Groups investment of Rs 100 crore in Sun FM Radio Network. In Chennai this morning,a half-hour standoff ensued after the security guards at Dayanidhis home in the posh Boat Club area refused to allow the CBI in. The search continued for several hours. Simultaneous raids were conducted at the office of Sun TV and at the residence of its chairman,Kalanidhi Maran,by separate CBI teams. (With ENS,Chennai)
