CBI arrests former appraiser ICD Delhi, recovers ₹1 crore

The CBI also arrested a Customs House agent , a middleman and a private person involved in a bribery racket.

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday arrested Saurav Sharma, who is posted as appraiser in the office of chief commissioner of customs in Chennai, for allegedly demanding and accepting bribes from private parties for import consignments that he had cleared in his earlier posting, officials said

(PTI)

Officials added that the agency has recovered ₹1 crore cash from Sharma’s residence. He formerly served as Appraiser of ICD (Inland Container Depot) Tughlakabad.

Apart from Saurav Sharma, CBI has arrested a Customs House Agent - Neeraj, a middleman Ram Krishan Mishra and a private person Kishore Kumar.

CBI Spokesperson R K Gaur said that the former Appraiser, ICD, Tuglakabad, Delhi was regularly pursuing private parties and few officials for payment of pending undue advantage in lieu of import consignments cleared by him during his tenure at ICD, Tuglakabad, Delhi.

“It was also alleged that various parties had been approaching the middleman to pursue their pending matters with the said appraiser. It was further alleged that the appraiser asked the middleman that a person will collect payment of undue advantage (illegal gratification) on his behalf. The middleman had allegedly delivered the payment of ₹7 lakh as the part of undue advantage (illegal gratification) to said private person”, Gaur said.

CBI caught the middleman, the private person, the Customs House Agent and recovered ₹7 Lakh.

Searches were conducted at the office of appraiser at Chennai, his previous office in ICD, Tuglakabad and residential premises of accused located at Delhi, Noida, Chennai which led to recovery of incriminating documents and cash of around ₹one crore, he said.