CBI has registered two fresh cases against two companies for alleged forgery and cheating in connection with its probe in the coal block allocation scam and carried out searches in 16 locations, including Delhi and Hyderabad.

The agency has booked an infrastructure and a steel company on charges of forgery and cheating while applying for captive coal blocks, CBI sources said.

The agency, after registration of cases, launched search operations spread across 16 locations in Hyderabad, Satna, Secunderabad, Vishakhapatnam, Jaipur, Rourkela and Delhi at the premises of these companies, they said.

They said the companies allegedly misrepresented their net-worth to claim eligibility for getting coal blocks.

The new cases pertain to coal block allocation during 2006-09 in which the CBI had earlier registered seven FIRs in connection with the probe.