Mumbai | Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation had decided to close the preliminary enquiry (PE) against former ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak Kochhar for want of evidence just weeks before it filed a case against the duo and Videocon group managing director Venugopal Dhoot last week for cheating and conspiracy.ET has learnt that deputy inspector general Jasbir Singh and superintendent of police Sudhanshu Mishra, who were part of the probe team, had upheld the investigating officer DJ Bajpei’s initial recommendation made in December 2018 that there was scant evidence against the Kochhars.However, the acting CBI director M Nageswara Rao overturned the initial recommendation and gave the go-ahead for registering a first information report (FIR) in the case pertaining to “dishonestly sanctioning loans to the Videocon group” in 2012. A day later, the team probing the matter was changed, said people aware of the matter.These developments happened two days before Union minister Arun Jaitley lashed out at the CBI on Friday last week for hastily naming top bankers in the FIR and asked the agency to make a distinction between “adventurism and professional investigation’’.While Singh – who had been given additional responsibility of the Bank Security and Frauds Cell (BS&FC) unit, where the PE was lodged – was told to relinquish his responsibility, Mishra was transferred to the Ranchi Economic Offences Wing.“The IO had stated in his report submitted in December to his seniors that following the complaint, documents relating to the case were studied,” an official privy to the information told ET on condition of anonymity. “A few people related to the complaint, including Chanda Kochhar’s brother-in-law Rajiv, were questioned during the course of the probe. However, no credible evidence to convert the complaint into an FIR was found and hence the complaint was closed by him.”The official further said that the “IO’s findings were endorsed by the DIG and the SP” before the file went to the director for approval. “Earlier this week, the director decided on the case and opined against the recommendations made by the officials of the BF&SC, and CBI opted to lodge a complaint as he believed that the complaint merits lodging an FIR,” he said.However, other people said that some CBI officers probing the matter “deliberately delayed” the registration of FIR and leaked classified information pertaining to searches to be carried out on the accused.According to these people, superintendent of police Mishra was moved out after a “discreet enquiry” by the agency revealed a “strong possibility” that information regarding searches on accused was leaked.“Immediately after registration of regular case on January 22, searches were proposed to be conducted very soon,” said one person. “However, it was suspected that there was a possibility of information about the searches being leaked. A discreet enquiry was conducted and the role of Sudhanshu Dhar Mishra was strongly suspected.”The searches were subsequently conducted under the supervision of superintendent of police Mohit Gupta, the person said. “The role of Mishra and that of other officers in keeping this case pending – and others, if any – is being looked into,” he said.While Biswajit Das was brought in Mishra’s place, Bajpei, who conducted the PE, is no longer part of the probe team. “The case is now entrusted to DSP RK Sangwan. The IO investigating the PE is not part of the investigation team so as to ensure there are no prejudices,” said an official.The CBI is probing alleged quid pro quo in the loan granted to Videocon by ICICI Bank when Kochhar was at the helm. The inquiry was to ascertain the veracity of accusations against Videocon chairman Venugopal Dhoot and Deepak Kochhar that Dhoot provided crores of rupees to a firm promoted by the ICICI Bank CEO’s husband six months after Dhoot’s group got a loan of Rs 3,250 crore as loan from the bank. The amount was part of a loan of Rs 40,000 crore which Videocon received from a consortium of 20 banks led by the State Bank of India.Chanda Kochhar is accused in the CBI FIR of allegedly receiving “illegal gratification through her husband (Deepak Kochhar) from Videocon MD VN Dhoot for sanctioning a term loan of Rs 300 crore to Videocon International Electronics Ltd (VIEL).” Besides, her alleged role in influencing disbursal decisions in relevant committees of the bank has come under the scanner.According to the FIR, on September 9, 2008, a day after RTL (rupee term loan) of Rs 300 crore was disbursed by ICICI Bank to VIEL, Dhoot allegedly transferred an amount of Rs 64 crore to the Deepak Kochhar-owned NuPower Renewables Ltd (NRL) through his company SEPL. The agency claims that this was the first major capital received by NuPower to acquire its power plant.The FIR states that the role of senior bank officials including former chairman KV Kamath (now president of New Development Bank), current MD Sandeep Bakshi, K Ramkumar, Sonjoy Chatterjee (CEO, Goldman Sachs, India), NS Kannan, Zarin Daruwala (CEO, Standard Chartered India) Rajiv Sabharwal (CEO, Tata Capital) and Homi Khusrokhan, who were part of the sanctioning committee that cleared the loans, may also be probed.