CBI today told the Supreme Court that Textile Minister Dayanidhi Maran has come under the scanner in the 2G scam probe. In a status report submitted to the apex court, the investigating agency accused Maran, a former Telecom Minister, of forcing promoter of a Chennai-based telecom company to sell his firm to a Malaysian firm in 2006 in which his close friends had stakes. The CBI said, there was an element of coercion in the sale of Aircel during the tenure of Mr Maran as Union Telecommunication Minister. It further assured the court of completing probe into money trail in the 2G scam by August 31. It said probe into all irregularities in spectrum allocation during 2001-08 will be completed within 3 months. The bench comprising Justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly warned the CBI that no external factors should influence the 2G spectrum probe. CBI is also probing the link between Loop and Essar and according to CBI, Loop was a front for Essar. CBI is also examining the exit of RCOM from Swan Telecom, a company in which Anil Ambani group of Reliance industries has stakes.