Suresh Kalmadi

New Delhi, Nov. 22: Arrested Commonwealth Games official T.S. Darbari has pointed a finger at his former boss, saying organising committee chief Suresh Kalmadi gave the go-ahead for awarding contracts to two companies being probed for corruption.

Sources today said Darbari, arrested on November 15, wrote to CBI director Ashwani Kumar earlier this month saying the transactions involving London-based private firms AM Car and Van Hire Ltd and AM Films UK Ltd were with the consent of Kalmadi and Games organising committee treasurer M. Jeyachandran.

The revelations came on a day a court extended by three days the CBI remand of Darbari and another top Kalmadi aide, disgraced organising committee deputy director-general Sanjay Mohindroo.

The two officials, suspended after the scam surfaced, were arrested on November 15. Jeyachandran was picked up yesterday.

Sources in the home ministry said the CBI was likely to come up with an array of other charges against several other people. “This case is related to the AM Films and Car case but there are several other papers that could be used soon,” said a source.

While AM Films had the contract for video installations, the contract with AM Car was for hiring cabs for the Queen’s Baton Relay. The CBI has registered cases against the companies, both owned by an Indian, Ashish Patel.

The sources said Darbari and Mohindroo, both confidants of Kalmadi, are accused of hiring taxis at unusually high rates for the Queen’s Baton Relay that could have cost the government up to Rs 4 crore.

As for AM Films, the organising committee is understood to have paid the firm over £4,50,000 for services during the relay in London in October last year allegedly without following proper tender procedures and paperwork.

Cases have also been registered against Patel and CWG director Raj Singh.

Sources said Darbari had already begun to sing and Kalmadi could be in for trouble. Darbari’s claims are believed to have led to Jeyachandran’s arrest yesterday.

Sources hinted that more arrests were likely as over 5,000 people were under the scanner for economic offences and many of them might be related to the Games scam.

Special CBI judge A.S. Yadav, who remanded the sacked officials in custody till November 25, said the conspiracy needed to be “fully” unearthed.

“In order to fully unearth the conspiracy of the accused, the accused are remanded to three days custody till November 25,” the judge said after Darbari, Mohindroo and Jeyachandran were produced before him.