How an MP’s son rode his Ferrari to fame

He was also questioned by Serious Fraud Office in London. But it apparently never bothered him, harbouring the feeling that he could get away with any and everything – with his money and connections. In fact, he himself is said to be nurturing political ambitions.

Not many 35-year-olds can boast of owning a fleet of world’s most expensive cars, a house in Park Lane, London, a private jet, a yatch, a plush three-storeyed officein Vasant Vihar and a safe deposit at Harrods among other properties. And what apparently got him into trouble was his opulence and his fondness for flaunting his riches. And he also liked to impress women by showering expensive gifts on them.

That is another matter that his wife got a divorce from him last year on grounds of cruelty. She walked out on him with their three-month-old child in less than four years after marriage in 1996 and they were legally divorced last year. "He wanted all the good things in life and got them too, but never paid for them," is how a person who knows him well sums him up.

There are stories of how he used to show off his wealth – about how he stacked his living-room with wads of notes and was happiness personified when they reached the ceiling. Officers investigating the various allegations against him say that Abhishek set up two companies by the name ESAM Airlines and ESAM India. He started leasing cargo aircraft and also tied up with Armenian Airlines. "That was the timehe got involved full time in money-laundering along with some political bigwigs. He had only been dabbling in it before that," said an official.

Another way he made money was by foreign exchange embezzlement, by encashing fake LCs (letters of credit). "He ostensibly made large exports from ESAM India. The material was never sent. Instead he used to ship all junk and dump it abroad. But got the LCs, for material which he never exported, made and also encashed them," he added. He owes the Income Tax department anything between Rs 50-100 crore. They are still calculating as they uncover more and more underhand dealings.

Abhishek was arrested by the CBI on December 1 for colluding with former ED deputy director Ashok Aggarwal to implicate Delhi-based jeweller Subhash Barjatya in a FERA case. He was later let off on bail by the court. But with the confidence that riches bring, Abhishek does not appear unduly worried. He was recently spotted at one of the city’s yuppie watering hole in a five-star hotel,downing Tequila after Tequila, with a couple of friends.

Abhishek’s wayward ways were visible while he was still in college when he hit the headlines. After finishing school from Sardar Patel, he enrolled in Hindu College for graduation. He got into trouble in the first year itself when he and his security guards beat up a fellow student who Abhishek thought had stolen his Parker pen. He had security at the time by the virtue of being the son of Shrikant Verma, who was then the AICC spokesman.

That was the first time he made it to the newspapers. And the second time was in 1994, when he was already in the thick of his questionable dealings. He was shot at while waiting for his car at the steps of Maurya Sheraton hotel. Then in November 1997, he was back – on the cover of the magazine India Today which did a story on the super rich.