Chopper case: Court extends custody of two accused till Jan 13

A city court today extended by a fortnight the judicial custody of former IAF chief S P Tyagi's cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and lawyer Gautam Khaitan, co-accused in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam case.
Metropolitan Magistrate Sumeet Anand extended their 14- day custody which expired today, till January 13, after the CBI moved an application for the same in the case relating to procurement of 12 VVIP choppers from UK-based firm during the UPA-2 regime.
A court here on December 17 had sent both the accused to two weeks in Tihar Jail along with Tyagi, the former Air Chief, after the probe agency said they were not required for custodial interrogation.

While Tyagi was granted bail on December 26, the bail pleas of the other two will be heard on January 4.
Sanjeev and Gautam earlier spent a week in CBI custody after the agency had said it was a "very serious" case requiring interrogation to unearth larger conspiracy as "interest of the nation was compromised".
The agency had then submitted in the court: "It is a very high-profile case and we need proper material. One part of the crime was committed in India while various other angles are in foreign land."

CBI had alleged that Tyagi had "abused his official position". When he was the air chief, he had made huge investments in land and other properties and not disclosed the source of his income.

It was also alleged that Khaitan was the "brain" behind how the bribe money had reached India and how several firms through which the money had travelled came into existence. Sanjeev was known to alleged European middleman Carlo Gerosa, CBI had claimed.
71-year old Tyagi, Sanjeev and Khaitan were arrested on December 9 by the agency in connection with the case.
The CBI had also claimed that alleged European middleman Guido Haschke's statement, which was received through a Letter Rogatory, proved that he was assured by Sanjeev that the latter's brother was going to be IAF chief.
The accused persons, however, had alleged that the "CBI was trying to extract the confession using force".