Bribery case: After arrest of Sisodia aide, CBI searches IAS officer’s premises

A day after his officer-on-special duty (OSD), Gopal Krishna Madhav, was arrested on bribery charges, Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia Friday supported

A day after his officer-on-special duty (OSD), Gopal Krishna Madhav, was arrested on bribery charges, Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia Friday supported the arrest and called for the strictest action against Madhav.

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“I have come to know that the CBI has arrested a GST inspector while taking bribe. This officer was posted as OSD in my office too. CBI should ensure strictest punishment for him. I have got several such officers arrested during last five years,” Sisodia tweeted.

Meanwhile, the crackdown in the case continued Friday, with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Friday searching the premises of IAS officer Udit Prakash Rai and several other officials posted in Delhi government’s goods and services tax (GST) department in connection with the bribery scandal, two officials said.

The CBI officials, however, clarified that they have not found anything which points to the involvement of Sisodia in the case.

The crackdown comes just days before the Delhi assembly elections on Saturday, which is being seen as a direct fight between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya JAnata Party (BJP).

About a dozen more officials of the GST department are under the scanner for allegedly taking a bribe from the transporters and not charging them the mandatory tax, the officials said.

The officials also added that Rai, a 2007 batch officer of UT cadre, is not a named accused in the case as of now but his residence at Civil Lines and office at ITO were searched Friday on the basis of the initial investigation.

Madhav, posted in the GST department of Delhi government since October 2019, was arrested on Thursday evening on the basis of information provided by middleman Dheeraj Gupta, who nabbed on Wednesday. Gupta, during interrogation, claimed that he was collecting bribes from transporters on behalf of Madhav and others.

“It was alleged that Gupta was acting as a middleman on behalf of some GST Department officials, including Madhav, for collecting illegal gratification from transporters for not charging them the mandatory GST,” CBI Spokesperson Nitin Wakankar said.

In addition to searching Rai’s residence in Civil Line, the agency is also carrying out searches at the residences of Madhav in Rohini and Dheeraj Gupta in Wazirabad area.

Sharing details of operation, one of the officials said a transporter had approached them with a complaint that GST officials in Delhi were demanding money for releasing his trucks.

Gupta, the officer added, claimed he had “good connections with high-ranking GST officials” and demanded Rs 3.5 lakh for getting the transporter’s two trucks released.

Gupta was arrested when Rs 2.26 lakh bribe, a first instalment, was being delivered. He has been sent to judicial custody.

Madhav, who joined the service as Head Clerk in August 2003 in the Education Department, was posted as officer on special duty (OSD) in Sisodia’s office since 2015. He was posted in GST department since October last year.

The BJP Friday claimed that the Kejriwal government was targeting traders. BJP’s Delhi unit tweeted: “OSD to Manish Sisodia was arrested by the CBI while accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh in a GST case. He was posted in Sisodia’s office since 2015. The total amount, however, was fixed at Rs 10 lakh. The Aam Aadmi Party government has been exploiting such traders, but Kejriwal has always maintained silence.”