CBI books Pune-based official of RoC for Rs 3 lakh bribe

New Delhi/Mumbai: A senior Pune-based official of the Registrar of Companies has come under the CBI scanner for taking Rs 3 lakh bribe and allegedly harassing senior officials of a company against which he had launched an inquiry for alleged wrongdoings.

The probe agency is gearing up to question Ajay Pawar, Assistant Registrar of Companies and inspector, Pune ROC office, and assess his assets after registering an FIR against him on Wednesday under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

CBI sources said that a representative of Birla Gold and Precious Metals Limited paid Rs 3 lakh as part-payment of the bribe to Pawar on October 7.

The FIR, filed on the complaint of a former director of the company, said that a company representative had alleged that Pawar had demanded a bribe of Rs 30 lakh for helping the company in the ongoing inquiry and to resolve the matter by way of favouring the company but had later struck a deal for Rs 5 lakh bribe.

The inquiry against the company was launched by Pawar in August, and he had directed its director to furnish documents. The ROC official had again issued summon on August 27, 2024 in which auditors, all directors and ex-directors of the company were asked to appear before him on September 5.

In subsequent meetings with the company's Chartered Accountant and Company Secretary, Pawar negotiated a deal for the bribe, the FIR said.

Pawar had promised that if the bribe is paid to him he would stop insisting on the personal appearance of all director/ex-directors of the company for the inquiry he was conducting against Birla Gold and Precious Metals Limited.

Facing harassment, a former director of a company filed a complaint with the CBI, which verified it twice, on October 14 and October 16.

The CBI FIR said: "During verification of complaint, Ajay Pawar increased his demand to Rs 6,00,000 and demanded remaining amount of Rs 3,00,000 instead of Rs 2,00,000 from Sandeep Joshi, director of the company, on October 16 in his office at Pune."