Karmapa issue already under investigation: Antony

New Delhi, Jan 31 (ANI): Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday said the Karmapa Lama issue is already under investigation, and added that the concerned agencies are investigating the case in detail.

"The issue is already under investigation by the government. Concerned agencies are inquiring the details. At this stage, I don't want to say anything more. The government is taking this issue seriously. We are going to the deep of it and we are trying to find out the details," Antony told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

The authorities are probing a suspected plan of the Karmapa Lama to buy land and establish China-friendly institutions across the Himalayan region.

A couple of days ago, Himachal Pradesh Police had raided the monastery of the Karmapa Lama, and recovered a huge sum of foreign currency of at least 25 countries, estimated as being worth at 60 million rupees.

In response to another question on situation in Egypt, Antony said: "The government is concerned about the developments. And, we are also concerned about the safety of the Indians in Egypt. So, External Affairs Ministry and Ministry of Civil Aviation, they are in constant touch and they are making arrangements to bring back Indians."

An Air India plane, carrying about 300 stranded passengers from strife-torn Egypt, landed at Mumbai's CST Airport on Monday afternoon.

The Boeing 747-800 was flown to Cairo on Sunday as a special measure to airlift the Indians stranded there amidst nationwide unrest against the Egyptian government.

Further commenting on the controversial Adarsh Housing Society scam in Mumbai, Antony said those guilty in the scam will not be spared.

"The CBI has given the report to the Mumbai High Court. Let it come out, and let them give their official report to our ministry, and then we will examine the details. We are very serious; that is why we only referred this matter to the CBI. It shows ministry is very serious about the matter. Whoever is found guilty, we will take action," he added.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had on Saturday filed an FIR in the case. The FIR named former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan along with 12 others. he developments came after the Bombay High Court pulled up the CBI last week for its slow investigation into the case.

The High Court had asked the CBI to complete its probe into the Adarsh housing society scam in two weeks. The CBI had also been asked to take a decision on filing FIRs in the case.

The Adarsh scam claimed its first victim last year in the form of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, who was forced to resign after reports surfaced that his kin owned flats in the society.

After Chavan, top bureaucrats too faced the axe, most notably among them being Maharashtra's Chief Information Commissioner Ramanand Tiwari and Human Rights Commissioner Subhash K Lalla.

The 31-storey Adarsh Housing Society, originally meant for Kargil war heroes, landed in controversy after media reports said that several politicians, bureaucrats and defence personnel owned flats there. (ANI)