Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigators on Thursday began the third round of questioning of senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel at his residence here in connection with the Sandesara brothers bank fraud and money laundering case probe, officials said.

A three-member team of the central agency along with a few other officials reached Patel's 23, Mother Teresa Crescent home in the Lutyens' zone of central Delhi around 11 am.

The team members carried files, wore masks and gloves and were seen sanitising their hands and shoes before beginning the questioning as a precautionary measure in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

Agency sleuths have questioned Patel, 70, in two separate sessions clocking about 17 hours on June 27 and June 30.

He was allowed questioning at home by the agency after the Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat refused to visit the ED office citing prevailing COVID-19 guidelines that discourage senior citizens from going out.

Officials said Patel's statement is being recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) during the latest session.

He is being questioned about his purported links with Vadodara-based Sterling Biotech pharmaceutical company promoters, the Sandesara brothers, and alleged dealings of his family members with them.

The agency, last year, had questioned Patel's son Faisal Patel and son-in-law Irfan Ahmed Siddiqui in this case and recorded their statements.

The two were questioned in the context of the statement of one Sunil Yadav, an employee of the Sandesara group, which was earlier recorded before the agency.

Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigators on Thursday began the third round of questioning of senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel at his residence here in connection with the Sandesara brothers bank fraud and money laundering case probe, officials said.

A three-member team of the central agency along with a few other officials reached Patel's 23, Mother Teresa Crescent home in the Lutyens' zone of central Delhi around 11 am.

The team members carried files, wore masks and gloves and were seen sanitising their hands and shoes before beginning the questioning as a precautionary measure in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

Agency sleuths have questioned Patel, 70, in two separate sessions clocking about 17 hours on June 27 and June 30.

He was allowed questioning at home by the agency after the Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat refused to visit the ED office citing prevailing COVID-19 guidelines that discourage senior citizens from going out.

Officials said Patel's statement is being recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) during the latest session.

He is being questioned about his purported links with Vadodara-based Sterling Biotech pharmaceutical company promoters, the Sandesara brothers, and alleged dealings of his family members with them.

The agency, last year, had questioned Patel's son Faisal Patel and son-in-law Irfan Ahmed Siddiqui in this case and recorded their statements.

The two were questioned in the context of the statement of one Sunil Yadav, an employee of the Sandesara group, which was earlier recorded before the agency.