GUWAHATI, Feb 3 - The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Assam Police has written to the State government, asking the latter to facilitate a travel for the Special Investigating Team (SIT) probing the Louis Berger bribery case, to the United States before April next.
Sources said that as things stand today, a three-member team led by an officer of the rank of Inspector General of Police should be part of the SIT.
�Although the name of Surinder Kumar, IGP (CID), is doing the rounds, nothing can be confirmed at this point of time. There are chances that the strength of the team may even increase,� sources in the CID told The Assam Tribune.
Sources in the home department, when contacted, said that an estimate of the travel expenses has to be prepared before giving the go-ahead. �The duration of stay is expected to be less than a fortnight,� the sources said.
The CID, meanwhile, informed that it has already prepared the questionnaire seeking vital information about the scam from the US agencies.
�We know what information we need to extract from the US government. The sooner the trip materialises, the faster we would be able to bring the case to its logical conclusion,� the sources claimed.
�However, before that the video talk conference with the Department of Justice, USA will have to materialise, which is under process,� the sources told this reporter.
�More than four agencies, including the CID, International Police Cooperation Cell of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Interpol, besides the Indian and the US governments, are working in tandem to facilitate the video interaction, which would just be a pre-visit interaction,� the sources opined.
In an affidavit submitted by the Special Superintendent of Police of CID to the Gauhati High Court, the investigating agency had stated that Washington DC had earlier agreed to share the relevant information with the CID and also requested it to arrange an initial video talk. The CID had registered a case (41/15) in 2015 following a complaint from one Bhaben Handique and two others.
This came after American company Louis Berger pleaded guilty before a New Jersey court of paying bribes in Assam and Goa to obtain contracts as consultants for water supply projects.
