Was Varun Gandhi honey-trapped by arms dealer?

In a letter written to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), US whistleblower C Edmonds Allen has claimed that BJP MP Varun Gandhi was honey-trapped and blackmailed by arms dealer Abhishek Verma.

Allen claimed in the letter dated September 16 that Gandhi was "compromised" by Verma, the Economic Times reported. Allen has sent the photos and CD to the prime minister and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.

Allen insisted that an investigation must be conducted to verify the allegations.

However, Gandhi has denied these charges, calling them "too ridiculous to comment on," the report noted. The 36-year-old Lok Sabha MP from Sultanpur constituency was a former member of the defence consultative committee. Gandhi claimed that he did not attend any session of the parliamentary committee on defence. Classified documents or information is not shared with members of the committee.

The PMO declined to respond to questions from the daily.

Verma has been named in several criminal cases including the AgustaWestland VVIP helicopters bribery scandal and the Indian Navy War Room leak case.

Allen ended his business relationship with Verma in 2012. He has shared several documents with the CBI who is investigating cases against Verma. Abhishek Verma is currently out on bail, the report noted.