CBI charge-sheets its 4 officials in bribe-for-relief case

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday filed a charge sheet against its four officials in a bribe-for-relief case involving the investigation against Frost International for allegedly committed a bank fraud of over Rs 4,300 crore, officials said.

The agency has also arrested accused Sameer Kumar, its stenographer, in the case and he has been sent to judicial custody, they said.

The CBI has booked its deputy superintendents of police -- R K Rishi and RK Sangwan -- and Inspector Kapil Dhankad along with an advocate in connection with an alleged bribery ring run by them within the agency to help companies accused of siphoning off bank loan funds, officials had said Wednesday.

All three of them were arrested in January this year.

They were booked for allegedly 'compromising the integrity of investigation of certain cases on extraneous pecuniary considerations'.

The FIR also named Additional Director of Shree Shyam Pulp and Board Mills Mandeep Kaur Dhillon and directors of Frost International Sujay Desai and Uday Desai in the bribery case.

It is alleged that Dhankad, a State Bank of India manager, who joined the agency on deputation as Inspector acted in collusion with Rishi and Sangwan and received regular payoffs to pass crucial information pertaining to cases against Shree Shyam Pulp facing probe in Rs 700 crore-loan default and Frost International in Rs 3,600 crore loan default, they said.

'The CBI has a zero tolerance policy towards corruption be it other departments or within the organisation. The case is a result of strict vigil and action on any input which indicates involvement of our officials in corrupt practice,' an official said after the first information report.

Dhankad, posted in Banking Security and Fraud Cell of the agency, allegedly received at least Rs 10 lakh each from his superiors Sangwan and Rishi who were soliciting favours for Shree Shyam Pulp and Board Mills and Frost International respectively.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Rishi received Rs 15 lakh twice through advocates Malik and Gupta (having office in Defence Colony) to extend favours to a Chandigarh-based company against which a corruption case was being investigated by the CBI, the FIR alleged.

It alleged Dhankad twice received Rs 2.5 lakh from Gupta for having brokered the deal through Rishi.

'It has also been reliably learnt that the details of the investigation of many other cases including confidential notes and directions have been communicated by Sameer Kumar Singh, Steno, to Sangwan and Rishi on financial considerations to protect interests of the accused,' the FIR has alleged.