Salman Khurshid-linked Trust row: EOW starts collection evidence

A day after Union Law minister Salman Khurshid rubbished charges of misappropriation of funds by a trust run by him, the Economic Offences Wing of the Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday started collecting evidence in connection with its probe into alleged financial irregularities.

"Investigating officers have been sent all over the state to collect evidence and record statements at various levels as part of the investigation," Director General EOW Subrat Tripathi said.

He said the exercise was not limited to just 17 districts from where complaints were made and initially the documents were being collected from the handicapped welfare

department.

"As the matter is related to physically impaired, the documents are being collected from the concerned department," the DG said.

To a question, he said "the exercise is neither a raid nor a search. How can we call it a raid or a search when the documents are being provided willingly."

In Lucknow, the EOW team collected documents from the state office of the department at Bapu Bhawan.

Asked how much time it would take to complete the probe, Tripathi said "normally it takes three to six months to complete an inquiry."

"If there is some lack of cooperation or if some people play tricks, then it may take some more time," he said.

When asked to comment on EOW's probe, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said " it will not be appropriate to say anything on the matter."

"The inquiry is already underway. How can one comment without outcome of the probe?" he told reporters here.

"It is not right to say that inquiry will not be fair till it is completed," Akhilesh said.

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