New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today (Dec 21, 2003) registered a case against former Union Minister Dilip Singh Judeo and three others in the cash-on-camera scam and began searches at 17 places in the national capital, Chattisgarh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh.

Judeo's personal secretary Natwar Rateria, Bhupinder Patel alias Rahul, shown on the tape allegedly giving bribe and Arvind Vijay Mahajan, who arranged for the logistics including the camera, are the others against whom the case was registered, CBI sources said.

The searches were no in Raipur, Gurgaon, Bhopal, Bhusawal and Delhi.

The case was registered under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act including Section seven (taking gratification as a public servant).

Judeo and Rateria were questioned twice by the CBI in the last two weeks.

CBI sources alleged the amount given as bribe to the former minister was Rs nine lakhs.

The agency had registered a preliminary enquiry in the case after 'Indian Express' came out with a story made from the videotape, in which Judeo was purportedly shown as accepting bribe from a person Rahul for some mining project in Chattisgarh.