The noose around main accused in the Navy War room leak case Ravi Shankaran has tightened further after a British court issued an arrest warrant against him on the request of the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The warrant of arrest against Shankaran has been issued by the additional district judge of the UK following a request by the agency to the British Home Department, a CBI spokesman said in New Delhi on Tuesday.
The arrest warrant was issued after Shankaran's presence in Britain was submitted to the British Home Department through Ministry of External Affairs.
"Vigorous efforts by the CBI have resulted in the issue of arrest warrant against Shankaran and it is considered a major step towards his apprehension and extradition," the spokesman said.
India's request for the provisional arrest of 43-year-old Shankaran, believed to be currently living in Britain, was made under the provisions of Article 12 of the extradition treaty between the two countries.
The request states that 'if apprehended, the government of India undertakes to present a formal extradition request for Ravi Shankaran to the government of the UK and Northern Ireland not later than two months from such date of apprehension."
A court in New Delhi has already declared Shankaran a proclaimed offender and issued a non-bailable warrant against him. This led to the issuance of a Red Corner Notice against him by Interpol.
The CBI had on September 12 attached Shankaran's property and bank accounts after he failed to appear before the agency for questioning.
The CBI attached his property and bank accounts in September last year, which included his office -- Shanks Oceanographic Private Limited at Goa -- and bank accounts with HSBC Bank of a firm called Besix India, a proprietary firm belonging to him.
Shankaran is a key accused in the case related to the leak of sensitive information from the Navy's directorate of operations and his passport has been revoked by the government on May one last year.
The CBI had conducted raids at his residence and other offices in April last year after arresting a former naval commander Kulbushan Prasharar from the Indira Gandhi International Airport upon his arrival from London.
Through Parashar, the CBI came to know that Shankaran was in London after which it published the proclamation notice of the designated court in the local dailies there asking him to appear before the agency for questioning.
A proclaimation notice asking Shankaran was also published in The Times London on August 11 last year asking him to appear before the agency for questioning, the spokesman said.
The CBI had registered a case on March 20 against former Wing Commander of IAF Sambha ji Rao Surve, Shankaran, ex-commanders of Navy Vinod Kumar Jha and Vinod Rana, Raj Rani Jaiswal, Mukesh Bajaj, Wing Cdr (retd) S K Kohli, Kashyap Kumar and Parashar.
The case against all the nine persons has been registered under various sections of Official Secrets Act and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. The CBI has already filed three chargesheets in this case and Shankaran was named in the first one.
