New Delhi: Around eight persons were grilled on Wednesday by police as their search continued for Aam Aadmi Party MLA Somnath Bharti, who is evading arrest in a case of domestic violence and attempt to murder lodged against him by his wife Lipika Mitra.
"The suspects questioned for several hours include the legislator's brother Loknath Bharti -- whose name is also present in the complaint filed by Lipika -- and Bharti's private secretary.
"Apart from these, a few other employees in Somnath Bharti's office and party workers from Malviya Nagar and Khirki Extension areas were questioned," said Joint Commissioner of Police (Southwest), Dependra Pathak.
The eight persons are all under police scanner for allegedly harbouring Somnath Bharti, he said, adding that his private secretary is suspected to be the last person whom the MLA met before he went untraceable.
Meanwhile, senior officials denied having questioned Somnath Bharti's sister Divya Stuti, who has claimed that she was summoned to the police station for questioning twice during the day.
The MLA's brother and private secretary were on Tuesday night picked up by police and taken for questioning. They were allowed to leave in the early hours on Wednesday while two more close aides of the former Delhi minister were picked up in the next few hours.
Somnath Bharti's brother and private secretary were summoned again to the police station on Wednesday.
Those called for questioning were put through queries on the nature of the work they are involved in to their potential knowledge about the MLA's alleged misconduct and his present whereabouts, said a senior official.
Pathak said that around 12 people, including the eight called for questioning, were under police scanner for allegedly "harbouring" the MLA.
"Harbouring Bharti is a criminal offence punishable under the law," he added.
Several police teams are conducting raids across NCR at Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Gurgaon in order to trace Somnath Bharti. The AAP worker who sheltered the MLA the last time he was evading arrest has also been called for questioning, the officer said.
Somnath Bharti also moved Supreme Court seeking protection from arrest in the case in which Delhi High Court has rejected his anticipatory bail plea.
The controversial MLA has sought a direction from the apex court that Delhi Police be restrained from arresting him until his petition challenging the high court order is decided, his counsel said.
However, Delhi Police claimed that as per their knowledge, Somnath Bharti had not moved the apex court so far.
"We are constantly being informed about the case and our counsel has not communicated anything to us about Bharti moving Supreme Court," said a senior officer.
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