CBI arrests MCD deputy commissioner in connection with a ₹4 lakh bribery case

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a senior official, a deputy commissioner with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), in connection with an alleged ₹4 lakh bribery case involving the licensing department. The initial investigations by the CBI have suggested that more aspects of corruption may emerge. (PTI Representative)The agency identified the officer as Lt Col Abhishek Kumar Mishra, Deputy Commissioner, Shahdara North, MCD. According to the officials, the central agency made the arrest after receiving information about Mishra's demand for the bribe. A senior CBI officer said that a case was registered following a complaint received by the agency that accounts officer Divyanshu Gautam had allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹4 lakh from a License Inspector. Acting on the complaint, the CBI team laid a trap and caught both officials red-handed, the agency said, adding that the initial investigations have suggested that more aspects of corruption may emerge. The CBI has said it will issue details of the case later on Tuesday. A special CBI court in Maharashtra's Thane has sentenced a former Income Tax officer to six months' rigorous imprisonment (RI) in a 19-year-old case of taking a bribe of ₹20,000 from a person to finalise a tax security assessment. Special Judge (CBI) D S Deshmukh also imposed a fine of ₹4,000 on the accused, Deenanath Krishna Puthran (77), in the order on March 27, following a trial that lasted more than 18 years. A Chartered Accountant and a tax assistant accused in the case were acquitted due to a lack of direct evidence. The case dates back to 2007, when Puthran served as an Income Tax officer at Vashi in Navi Mumbai. Samraj Naikar, Managing Director of M/s Shree Laxmi Electricals and Consultants Pvt Ltd, lodged a complaint with the CBI Anti-Corruption Bureau, alleging that Puthran was harassing him and demanding ₹40,000 to finalise the scrutiny of his company's tax files and those of his wife. On January 3, 2007, a CBI team caught Puthran after he accepted a negotiated sum of ₹20,000. The probe agency also charged CA Jayant Dattatray Adhyapak with alleged abetment, and then tax assistant Prakash Gunaji Nevrekar with allegedly accepting an additional ₹1,000. Follow the latest breaking news and developments from India and around the world with Hindustan Times' newsdesk. From politics and policies to the economy and the environment, from local issues to national events and global affairs, we've got you covered.Read More