Coal-gate investigator caught red-handed taking bribe

In a swift operation, the Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday arrested its own Superintendent of Police, who was heading the Coalgate probe team, and an inspector for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 7 lakh from a businessman outside its headquarters in New Delhi to settle a land dispute.

CBI's internal vigilance apprehended Inspector Rajesh while receiving the bribe on behalf of SP Vivek Dutt who was chief investigator in the coal blocks allocation scam case.

"We had information about the dealing and we continued to maintain surveillance on them. After monitoring them for pretty long, today they were arrested for taking the bribe", CBI Director Ranjit Sinha told PTI.

He said CBI would inform the Supreme Court soon about the developments since the Apex court had ruled that no official associated with the probe into the scam will be transferred without informing it.

CBI sources said the agency got a tip-off that Dutt, who was posted in its Economic Offences Wing, had allegedly struck a deal to settle a land dispute in return for illegal gratification.

They said Dutt had allegedly used his influence with Delhi Police officials to withdraw a petition from an ongoing land dispute case, which had benefitted the businessman.      

The vigilance officials got the tip off that the alleged deal would materialise this evening and informed the CBI Director about it who gave the go-ahead.

The agency's internal vigilance then arrested Rajesh when the money was changing hands. Later, Dutt was also taken into custody.

The agency sources said the bribery case had nothing to do with the ongoing coal blocks allocation scam probe in which Dutt was the Chief Investigator.

The operation was carried out on a day when senior officials of CBI from across the country had congregated at the agency headquarters for their quarterly zonal meeting.

"My aim while taking over as CBI Director was to ensure zero tolerance of corruption", Sinha said.