Pune: The state CID questioned V K Singh, the owner of VSR Ventures, for three consecutive days last week in connection with the firm’s plane crash near the Baramati airstrip on Jan 28, killing former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others.“We questioned Singh in detail in the last three days and obtained information on how the company functions, how the aircraft are maintained, how pilots are assigned and other nitty-gritty relevant to our investigation,” additional director general of police (CID) Sunil Ramanand told TOI on Monday.The CID (Criminal Investigation Department) quizzed Singh from Thursday to Saturday last week.Ramanand said, “Two central agencies are probing the aircraft crash. The CID’s investigation will be completed only after receiving their reports. We will study the reports of the two agencies and corroborate the statement of Singh with it.” A Learjet aircraft operated by VSR ventures was ferrying Ajit Pawar from Mumbai to Baramati on Jan 28 morning. It crashed just before landing, killing Ajit Pawar and the four others on board. The state govt handed over the investigation of the accidental death report to the CID on Jan 29.Earlier this month, the state CID had written to VSR Ventures seeking answers to several queries, but the company did not respond. “But now (after questioning Singh) we have most of the answers to the queries raised in that letter,” Ramanand said.The CID had sought details on how the aircraft was booked, who booked the flight from Mumbai to Baramati, how the pilots and crew members were assigned, and the aircraft’s maintenance procedures and history, among other information.Ramanand said the CID was currently focusing on the flying history of the two pilots and other details related to them. “We will study all the reports related to the aircraft crash before arriving at any conclusion,” he said.
