The currency notes allegedly given as bribe to three Bharatiya Janata Party lawmakers have been traced to some banks in the National Capital Region of Delhi region and not to a Bhopal-based branch of a public sector bank, sources in a Parliamentary committee have claimed.
"The committee members on Wednesday physically checked the currency bundles. They were found to have seals of banks in Faridabad, Gurgaon and Delhi. None of them were found to carry State Bank of Indore or Bhopal tag," a source said.
Video: The scam that rocked the country
The members of the committee would be seeing the sting operation CDs in the next sitting. The seven member committee is also approaching the Lok Sabha secretariat to provide them with the technical expertise to investigate into the phone details and sting operation footages for validation.
"We will also summon the people concerned with the scandal if required," a source said.
Eight-an-a-half lessons from the trust vote
Three BJP MPs -- Ashok Argal, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Bhagora -- had brought Rs one crore to the House and displayed the bundles of notes, alleging that these were given to them by Samajwadi Party leaders to abstain from the trust vote.
After a written complaint by the three MPs on the issue, the Speaker formed a seven-member committee to look into the incident, which had its first meeting on Wednesday.
Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh had earlier claimed that the cash was withdrawn from State Bank of Indore, New Market branch of Bhopal and alleged that the money was arranged by the BJP government in the state.
