Karti Chidambaram raided in ‘bribe-for-visa’ case; allegedly facilitated visa to 250 Chinese nationals

New Delhi: In fresh trouble for Karti Chidambaram, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday searched several premises of the Congress leader & his associates over bribery charge. The CBI raids were conducted at several locations across Chennai, Mumbai, Odisha and Delhi, said sources.

Sources said that a case of receiving Rs 50 lakh bribe was lodged against P Chidambaram’s son for allegedly facilitating visa to 250 Chinese nationals for a power project in Punjab between 2010-2014. In its new case, the CBI says that the Chinese nationals got Indian visa issued at the behest of Karti, when Congress-led UPA regime was in power at the Centre.

Reacting to the CBI searches at his residence & office premises, Karti took to Twitter and posted a cryptic tweet.

“I have lost count, how many times has it been? Must be a record,” Karti Chidambaram tweeted.

I have lost count, how many times has it been? Must be a record.

— Karti P Chidambaram (@KartiPC) May 17, 2022

According to reports, the CBI sleuths detected illegal payment of Rs 50 lakh allegedly received as illegal gratification by Karti Chidambaram, for facilitating the visa of Chinese workers who were supposed to the work at Talwandi Sabo Power Limited project in Punjab.

The CBI reportedly got a whiff of this wrongdoing while probing the INX media case in which Karti is being investigated for allegedly allowing the Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance for INX media. In this case, he is facing probe for receiving kickbacks to the tune of Rs 305 crore. He allegedly helped the firm receive FIPB clearance when his father P Chidambaram was Finance Minister.

Meanwhile, police have been deployed outside Chidambaram’s residence in Chennai while the sleuths search multiple locations of his son.