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CBI Arrests Deputy Superintendent In Bribery Case Involving Special Director Asthana

CBI arrested its DSP Devender Kumar in connection with bribery allegations involving its second-in-command Rakesh Asthana.



Handcuffs sit on a rail (Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg)
Handcuffs sit on a rail (Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg)

The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested its Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar in connection with bribery allegations involving Special Director and second-in-command Rakesh Asthana.

Kumar, who was earlier the investigation officer in a case involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi, has been arrested on the allegations of forgery in recording the statement of Sathish Sana, who had allegedly paid bribes to get relief in the case, officials said today.

It is alleged that a statement of Sana was purportedly recorded on Sept. 26 by the investigating team headed by Asthana, but it emerged in the CBI probe that on that given day the businessman was in Hyderabad, the officials claimed.

In his statement, Sana had purportedly said that he had discussed his case with Telugu Desam Party’s Rajya Sabha member CM Ramesh in June this year, who after speaking to the CBI director assured that he would not be summoned again. “From June onwards, I was not called by the CBI. I was under the impression that investigation against me is complete,” he is believed to have said according to the officials.

The CBI has now alleged that Kumar had fabricated this statement as an “afterthought to corroborate the baseless allegations made by Asthana against the CBI Director Alok Verma to the Central Vigilance Commissioner”, the officials claimed. They said the agency was also looking into the alleged role of other members of the special investigation team headed by Asthana.

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