If evidence reportedly found in his laptop seized from a Delhi hotel is anything to go by, Sharma was trying to obtain a duplicate passport.

The recovery of the laptop and the evidence sourced from it by the officials of the Directorate of Forensic Science (DFS) was one of the reasons considered by the Gujarat High Court while refusing him bail recently in a graft case registered against him by the state CID (Crime).

In his judgment denying bail to Sharma, Justice J B Pardiwala says: “I... cannot ignore the fact that certain items like laptop, mobile phone, deed of conveyance, etc, were recovered from the possession of the accused-applicant from the said hotel in New Delhi. As per the report of the Directorate of Forensic Science laboratory, Gandhinagar, there were some chats on the laptop relating to obtaining another passport, seeking asylum option, etc”.

Incidentally, the state CID (Crime) had moved an application in a Rajkot court last week, seeking permission to collect Sharma’s DNA samples, saying he might flee India on a fake passport. The CID had even submitted that Sharma might undergo plastic surgery to change his appearance.

At present, Sharma is an accused in a number of cases registered against him in connection with illegal land allotment to private companies as Kutch District Collector.

Sharma was granted bail by the Supreme Court in the first case registered against him. After that, on February 14 this year, he was arrested by the Gujarat Police from a hotel in Delhi. He had allegedly rented a room in the hotel, Southern Regency, introducing himself as Paramjit Singh Sandhu of Punjab. As identity proof, Sharma had allegedly produced a fake driving licence by the same name but having his photograph. The police had seized a laptop from him, which was sent to the DFS.