PANJIM: Former chief minister Digambar Kamat’s kith and kin have come under the scanner of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) even as his son Yogiraj was grilled for nearly two hours on Wednesday. Yogiraj appeared before the investigation team at around 4pm at Crime Branch office, Ribandar and left at around 6pm.
SIT has now summoned Kamat’s brother-in-law Satish Lawande to appear before it on Thursday. Reliable sources informed Herald that Kamat’s son-in-law Govindraj Dempo, Yogiraj’s mother-in-law and mining trader Prasanna Ghodge, who earlier faced arrest for cheating the State exchequer of crores of rupees, could also be summoned by SIT in the coming days. All these have reportedly held positions as directors of various companies, some of which are involved in mining-related businesses.
SIT SP Kartik Kashyap declined to divulge details only stating that the team is probing suspicious companies where Kamat’s relatives are directors. “There are about 25 companies which are suspicious and have Kamat’s close relatives as directors. Some companies are related to the mining business. As such, we have to look into all these closely.”
Sources disclosed that several companies had shut down within a short span of their opening, raising doubts about the purpose of their existence and functioning.
Sources stated that though Ghodge is not a part of the family, he has been facing charges that has many others, including politicians, bureaucrats too under scanner.
A chargesheet was filed against Ghodge before the judicial magistrate first class Panjim in 2015 wherein the SIT charged him for criminal conspiracy and cheating.
