CBI CONTINUES ITS PROBE AGAINST MICKKY

The Central Bureau of Investigation officials continued the probe against the former tourism minister, Mr Francisco Xavier Pacheco in a case relating to the illegal immigration racket immigration and money laundering, with its officials scouting for evidence at various places to seal the case against the former minister.

The CBI officials had last week raided the residence and offices of Mr Pacheco in connection with the cases registered against him. Though the sources in the CBI declined to comment on whether any tangible evidence has been found out to link Mr Pacheco to the immigration racket by the team, they informed that a thorough probe was on and it would take some time before the case was taken to its logical conclusion.

The CBI, which has already registered a first information report against Mr Pacheco who is also the Nationalist Congress Party legislator from Benaulim, had started probe after the United States Bureau of Diplomatic Security, an unit of the state department, informed the external affairs ministry through its mission in New Delhi that Mr Pacheco might be involved in a massive immigration and money laundering racket.

The bank accounts of Mr Pacheco have been frozen and his laptops and mobile phones have been seized by the CBI. He was thoroughly interrogated by the CBI team late last week. His estranged wife too was interrogated.