CBI arrests its DSP, inspector in bribery scam within agency

New Delhi: The CBI has arrested one of its deputy superintendents of police R K Rishi 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 worth Rs 4,300 crore, officials said Wednesday.

The agency also conducted searches at Rishi's house in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh and that of his wife in Roorkee, they said. The CBI had booked Rishi, Dhankad and advocate Manohar Malik along with Deputy SP RK Sangwan and another lawyer Arvind Kumar Gupta 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 pay offs 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 FIR. Dhankad 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.

DSP 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 pecuniary considerations to protect interests of the accused," the FIR alleged.