CBI sleuths come out of Samrite’s residence on Wednesday, a file picture of Samrite . Picture by Saeed Faruqui

Bhopal, March 16: CBI sleuths today swooped on Kishore Samrite’s Bhopal residence on a court order but were forced to break open the door as he was not in.

Allahabad High Court had ordered the raids after the Samajwadi Party leader falsely accused Rahul Gandhi of being involved in the gangrape and abduction of an Amethi girl.

Samrite was neither at his Bhopal home nor his Lanji residence in Balaghat district when the CBI sprung its raids. In a brief phone chat, Samrite said he would move the Supreme Court against the CBI and the high court order.

In Bhopal, Samrite’s friends, including state BJP leaders, sought to distance themselves from him. BJP spokesperson Vijesh Lunawat said: “We strongly disapprove of character assassination. We may have political differences with an individual (Rahul Gandhi), but we are for probity and decency in public life. It is unfortunate that an unsubstantiated allegation was levelled.”

Madhya Pradesh Congress leader K.K. Mishra said: “The CBI has come as per the court order. The law is taking its course. As you sow, so you shall reap.”

In early March, the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court had imposed a fine of Rs 50 lakh on Samrite while recommending a CBI probe. It also asked the Mayavati government to probe the intention of those who spread the rumour through the Net.

The court order came after the alleged victim showed up to deny the charges. Of the Rs 50 lakh fine on Samrite, Rs 25 lakh will go to the girl, Rs 20 lakh to Rahul and Rs 5 lakh to the police team that tracked down the girl.

In a habeas corpus petition, Samrite had accused Rahul and his “five foreigner friends” of assaulting a girl, claiming he had read the news on a website. He had also sought the girl and her parents in the petition. The court had then issued a notice to Rahul.

On March 7, the girl and her parents appeared before Allahabad High Court. Identifying herself as Kirti Singh, the girl told the court neither she nor her parents were under any kind of detention.

In Madhya Pradesh, Samrite is charged in over 40 cases, including murder, loot, kidnapping, criminal intimidation and assaulting government officials on duty.

A few months before targeting Rahul, he toyed with the idea of joining the Congress. Sources said Samrite told a friend he would join the Congress but had not been able to fulfil his “dream” of hijacking an aircraft. “I just ran away as fast as I could, never to see him again,” recalled the Congress leader. “I did not realise then that Samrite had a bigger, more outrageous and dangerous plot in his mind.”