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CBI books 4 of its own personnel for involvement in alleged bribery racket
The four men allegedly took huge bribes for compromising investigation into bank fraud against some companies.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday booked four of its own men including two deputy superintendents of police (DSPs), an inspector and a stenographer and several private persons for allegedly taking huge bribes for compromising investigation into bank fraud against some companies, people familiar with the development said.
The agency raided 14 places during the day in one of the biggest cases of internal corruption in recent times.
The four CBI personnel named as accused in the case have been identified as DSPs - R K Rishi posted at agency’s academy in Ghaziabad and R K Sangwan, who is posted in Special Crimes unit that investigates heinous crimes, Inspector Kapil Dhankad from Bank Securities & Fraud Cell (BS&FC) of the agency and stenographer in BS&FC unit - Samir Kumar Singh.
The agency remained tightlipped about the exact allegations against them but officials who did not want to be named said these four men, in connivance with some advocates and other private persons, were taking periodic bribes from some companies under bank fraud investigations.
One of the companies from where the four personnel were accepting bribes has been under CBI investigation since August last year for defrauding 15 banks to the tune of ₹3,600 crore.
After receiving information about the bribery racket, the matter was brought to the knowledge of CBI Director Rishi Kumar Shukla following which the officers were put under surveillance to verify the allegations, people cited above it.
The surveillance prime facie confirmed that the CBI officers were indeed indulging in large scale corruption by offering accused persons favours in bank fraud cases.
On Thursday morning, several teams of agency’s Anti-Corruption-2 unit and Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) Delhi branch fanned out to raid at least 14 locations belonging to CBI officers as well as private persons in Delhi, Ghaziabad, Noida, Gurgaon, Meerut and Kanpur.
A search was also carried out at CBI headquarters office of a couple of officers, officials cited above said.
CBI Spokesperson R C Joshi confirmed that a case was registered against the officers “under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act on the allegations of compromising the investigation of certain cases on extraneous pecuniary considerations.”
People familiar with the proceedings in CBI said that the four officers face temporary suspension till the charges against them are being investigated.
The raids come as a big embarrassment for the agency, which is investigating multi-crore rupee bank frauds and corruption cases across the country.
The four CBI personnel could not be located for comments by HT.
