CBI today recorded the statement of former Aircel chief C Sivasankaran in connection with its ongoing investigations in the second generation spectrum allocation scam during UPA-I regime.

CBI sources said Sivasankaran was asked to meet its officials to clarify certain questions and series of events involving alleged irregularities in spectrum allocation to Aircel, a telecom firm founded by him and later sold to Malaysian firm Maxis.

Sivasankaran heads USD 3 billion conglomerate, Siva Group, with operations in realty, telecom, shipping, energy and agri exports and e-education and software.

Sources said Sivasankaran's statements were being recorded at an undisclosed location in the national capital.

They said Sivasankaran alleged he was forced by DMK MP and Textile Minister Dayanidhi Maran to sell his stake in Aircel to Maxis.

Sivasankaran had alleged his applications for licences were rejected when Maran was the telecom minister in 2006, forcing him to sell his company to Maxis, whose owner is considered to be close to Maran and his brother Kalanidhi, who owns Sun TV.

Maran is alleged to have granted 14 licences to Dishnet Wireless (Aircel) during his tenure as the telecom minister.

CBI is looking into financial transactions of Sun TV and Maxis. Besides, it is also looking into various aspects of the takeover of Aircel by Maxis group, sources said.

The probe agency has already registered a preliminary inquiry on issues in 2G spectrum allocation between 2001-07 and is actively looking into the matter.

The preliminary inquiry was registered against "unknown persons" following a Supreme Court directive to detect any alleged anomaly in the 'first-come-first-serve' policy during the spectrum allocation between 2001-07.

Maxis has 74 per cent stake in Aircel which has presence in 23 telecom circles -- Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Assam, North East, Orissa, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Kolkata, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi, UP (West), UP (East), Maharashtra and Goa, Mumbai, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat and Rajasthan.

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