The CBI on Tuesday arrested three persons in connection with its ongoing probe against suspended joint director (Ahmedabad) of the enforcement directorate (ED), J.P. Singh.
The CBI on Tuesday arrested three persons in connection with its ongoing probe against suspended joint director (Ahmedabad) of the enforcement directorate (ED), J.P. Singh.
In 2015, the CBI registered a case of criminal conspiracy and the Prevention of Corruption Act against the 2000-batch IRS officer, who was heading the ED’s Ahmedabad unit. The unit was probing two important cases, including '2,000-crore IPL betting scandal and '5,000-crore money laundering case against alleged hawala operator Afroz Fatta.
Sources say Sonu Jalal, J.K. Arora and Jaiyesh Thakkar were arrested in connection with the case. While Mr Thakkar was arrested in Ahmedabad, the agency sleuths arrested Mr Jalal in Mumbai, sources said, adding that Mr Arora was nabbed in Delhi.
“Searches at the premises of the accused led to the recovery of several incriminating documents and cash worth several crore,” sources said.
The case against Singh was registered after the ED wrote a letter to the CBI seeking investigation against the IRS officer, who was then the joint director of ED in Ahmedabad, and other officers. Immediately after registering the case, the CBI conducted searches at the premises of Mr Singh and two other junior officials — Sanjay Kumar and P. S. Srinivas — of the directorate in Ahmedabad and Surat in 2015. Sources said the ED director received multiple complaints about the alleged demand for bribe by the senior officials of its Ahmedabad unit, after which it was forwarded to the CBI.
The agency had kept these suspects under surveillance after receiving complaint from ED headquarters. “There were allegations that certain officers of ED while investigating the cases of money laundering in betting and other such activities allegedly demanded and accepted huge illegal gratification from the accused and suspect persons in the said cases. Huge bribe amount was allegedly taken by these officers as quid pro quo for various acts of omission and commission”, sources in the CBI said.
