P Chidambaram spends night at CBI’s suite 5

New Delhi: Former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram, after his dramatic arrest on Wednesday in connection with the INX Media case, spent the night at the CBI headquarters, the building that was inaugurated when he was the  country’s home minister.

Sources in the agency said Chidambaram spent a quiet night in the CBI guest house on  the ground floor of the building. He was kept in the suite 5 of the guest house, they said.

“Normally the agency keeps high security arrested accused in the guest house to ensure  proper security and monitoring”, sources said. Chidambaram who served as the Union Home Minister during November 2008 to July 2012 was one of guests at the  inauguration event of CBI headquarters in the presence of then prime minister Manmohan Singh.

Chidambaram, accompanied by the members of the investigation team, was brought to  the CBI headquarters at 10 pm on Wednesday. After a proper medical check-up  by a doctor from the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, he was taken to the room where he  spent a quiet night, sources said adding mostly he remained silent except answering a  few queries as and when questioned.

Initially, he was questioned by DySP  R. Parthasarthy who is leading the probe in the alleged corruption in Rs 305 crore FIPB clearance given to INX media when he was the Union finance minister, sources said.

The firm once promoted by Peter and Indrani  Mukerjea, both in jail for murdering latter’s daughter Sheena Bora, had allegedly made  payments to a firm linked to finance minister’s son Karti, the CBI has said in the FIR. Chidambaram denied the allegations.