The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a Delhi Police sub-inspector for allegedly taking a bribe of `2.5 Lakh through hawala operators for clearing the name of a Navi Mumbai-based tour operator from a case, officials said Thursday.
The agency arrested Rahul Malik, posted at Cyber Police Station in Rohini for allegedly accepting an installment of `2.5 Lakh out of total `14 Lakh demanded from the businessman through “layers of multiple hawala operators” based in Mumbai, Tamil Nadu’s Erode, and Delhi, they said. The businessman had approached the CBI with the complaint against Malik. The person said he had business relations with a private company related to Cash Management System, but he later found that the login credentials for virtual wallets provided to him was created under fake name.
“The matter related to private company was under investigation in FIR lodged at the Cyber police station, Rohini, Delhi,” a CBI spokesperson said in a statement. Malik, who was investigating the case, had allegedly issued notice to businessman’s brother-in-law who joined investigation and when they appeared before him for investigation, accused threatened to arrest them, the statement said. “It is further alleged that on March 7 2025, accused SI/IO (Malik) of the case visited at residence of complainant at Navi Mumbai and demanded a bribe of `50 Lakh to clear his and his brother-in-law’s name from the case or else threatened that they would be arrested,” the statement said.
Next day, Malik asked the businessman to meet him at a hotel on Ghodbunder Road, Mumbai, where he allegedly demanded bribe by typing amount of `16 Lakh on his mobile and threatened him with consequences if payment was not made. The threats continued when the businessman visited Rohini police station with his lawyer.
Malik agreed to accept a bribe of `14 Lakh after negotiations. He allegedly provided a number of a hawala operator in Mumbai and details of hawala token number where the alleged bribe was to be paid. “Accordingly, on March 19, 2025, a successful trap was laid by CBI in which hawala operator accepted bribe of `2.5 Lakh at Mumbai on the behalf of public servants as a part bribe payment through layers of multiple hawala operators based in Mumbai, Erode (TN) and New Delhi,” the CBI statement said.
Malik will be taken to Mumbai to face the probe.
