Probing extortion by Tihar jail officers in Ankit Gujjar case, says CBI

According to the first information report, Gujjar’s mother, Geeta, has accused Tihar jail officers of demanding ₹1 lakh as protection money from Gujjar when he was lodged inside the prison

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday told the Delhi high court that it was investigating the “larger angle” of extortion by jail officials into the death of gangster Ankit Gujjar.

Gujjar, 29, was found dead in his cell in Tihar jail on August 4 (Sourced)

Gujjar, 29, was found dead in his cell in Tihar jail on August 4, following which his mother moved the court seeking a CBI inquiry. On September 8, the high court said that it was a clear case of custodial violence and transferred the probe to the central agency.

According to the first information report, Gujjar’s mother, Geeta, has accused jail officers of demanding ₹1 lakh as protection money from Gujjar when he was lodged inside the prison.

Informing the court about the status of the investigation in the case, CBI informed justice Mukta Gupta that it was “going beyond” the allegations of extortion levelled by Gujjar’s family against the jail officials. The counsel for CBI said that the agency was examining the bank statements of the accused jail officials to ascertain if they got the money.

“We are examining extortion and murder. We are going beyond the case and looking into the larger conspiracy... We have sought the bank account (of relevant persons),” the CBI counsel said.

The counsel asserted that the CBI was “linking the chain” and “within a month”, the grievances raised by the petitioner, Gujjar’s mother, would be sorted out.

On Thursday, the judge granted time to the CBI to file a detailed status report on the investigation in a sealed cover and posted the matter for hearing on January 17, 2022.

Lawyer Mehmood Pracha, appearing for the petitioners, stated that there were eye-witnesses who needed adequate protection against coercion inside the jail, and submitted that the CCTV cameras were deliberately switched off at the time of the incident.

However, CBI counsel said that adequate care was being taken for the protection of the witnesses, including the undertrials, whose statements have been recorded.