National

Bofors case: ‘Tom will eventually catch Jerry’

New Delhi: The ‘Jerry’ in Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, one of the key accused in the long running Bofors case, may have outsmarted the CBI several times, but the ‘Tom’ in the agency is waiting for its chance.

The CBI has drawn a parallel between the Bofors case and the popular cartoon – Tom and Jerry – and is hopeful that ‘Tom’ will one day catch ‘Jerry.’

“I like Tom and Jerry cartoon show and police is like the cat while the criminals are like mice. So Tom never leaves Jerry,” the new CBI Director, Ashwani Kumar, told PTI when asked whether the agency will give up its pursuit of Mr. Quattrocchi.

Mr. Quattrocchi, who was detained in Malaysia and released last in Argentina, is wanted by the CBI in the Rs. 64-crore Bofors scam of early 1990s.

Asked whether the CBI had drawn a blank in seeking his extradition from the two countries after lengthy legal battles, he said: “I am in the game of Tom and Jerry and I have to do my job.”

To a query if the time had come to wind up the case since a substantial amount of taxpayers’ money was spent on it, he said: “I have a particular role to perform — corrupt fellows run away from police and I have to catch them. This role I will continue to do.” — PTI

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