Mumbai: Ensuring swift action in close coordination with NIA, CBI has apprehended two middlemen and Dy SP of NIA posted in Patna Branch of NIA (National Investigation Agency) on the allegations of obtaining undue advantage for granting favour in investigation of an ongoing NIA case.
Names of apprehended accused in FIR : (i) DySP NIA Ajay Pratap Singh (ii) Mr. Himanshu (middleman) (iii) Mr. Ritik Kumar Singh (middleman) and unknown others.
The apprehensions were made today after the CBI team trapped the middlemen closely associated with accused DySP accepting a bribe of Rs 20 Lakhs from the complainant in connection with influencing the investigation of an ongoing NIA case. DySP Ajay Pratap Singh is an Income Tax official,on deputation to NIA.
A complainant R/o Gaya, Bihar, approached CBI alleging that said DySP, NIA (Patna) has been extorting money from him by threatening to fabricate his family in a criminal case and falsely implicating his family for illegally stocking unlicensed assault weapons.
It was disclosed that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had registered a case in connection with this matter and searches were conducted on 19/09/2024 at the residence and office of the complainant.
Following these searches, as Investigating officer, said DySP issued a notice on 24/09/2024, summoning the complainant to appear before the NIA office Patna on 26/09/2024. The complainant appeared before the IO on the given date.
₹2.5 Cr Bribe Demanded By NIA Dy SP
During interrogation, it was alleged that accused Dy SP threatened the complainant with implicating him in the criminal case and to face severe consequences. In order to help him escape the consequences, said DySP allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 2.5 crore. Under pressure, complainant allegedly agreed to pay the bribe to protect his family from the false charges.
Accused Dy SP asked complainant to pay an initial instalment of Rs.25 lakh on the same day (26/09/2024) and provided him with a handwritten note with a middleman’s mobile number. Subsequently, it was alleged that complainant arranged Rs.25 lakh and directed his relative to deliver the money after contacting the given number. As instructed, the money was delivered to the recipient, who arrived in Aurangabad, Bihar.
It was revealed that said DySP was in contact with accused middlemen who along with another middlemen were present in Aurangabad, Bihar, around 11:30 PM on the day of incident (26/09/2024), corroborating the reported delivery of the bribe.
After a couple of days, complainant was once again summoned by said Dy SP to appear before the NIA office Patna on 01/10/2024.
The complainant appeared before the Dy SP in his office on given date. A demand was then made for a bribe of Rs.70 Lakh, with a direction to deliver Rs.35 Lakh on the same day at Patna.
Accused Dy SP again provided him with a handwritten note containing a mobile number and later, the complainant contacted the given number and requested for some time to arrange the money and assured for the delivery on 03/10/2024 at Gaya.
Entire matter was also brought in the knowledge of senior officials of NIA by the CBI team,who also ensured effective supervision of the matter alongwith CBI team.
Case Filed In The Matter
Hence, in effective coordination with NIA, a regular case u/s 7,12 of PC Act (As amended in 2018) read with Section 308(6) & Section 61(2)of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered on 3.10.2024 against said DySP NIA and two middlemen and unknown others.
Searches are being conducted at several places in Gaya,Patna and Varanasi and investigation of the case is in progress.
Several incriminating documents and digital devices have been recovered so far during the searches in addition to Rs.20 Lakhs Bribe money.
