A Surat-based Police Sub Inspector (PSI) was nabbed with Rs 1 crore cash for allegedly taking bribe to help self-style godman Asaram Bapu’s son and accused in rape case, Narayan Sai on Friday. Surat Police have also detained other five with nearly Rs 4 crore cash for allegedly trying to weaken the sexual assault case against Sai and Asaram.
The PSI identified as CM Kumbhani posted in Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) at Surat was nabbed with cash received from Sai’s close aide. The five aides of Sai detained by the police are Unday Sanghani, Ketan Patel, Bhavesh Patel, Hasmukh Upadhyay and Naresh Malkani. “Police have seized total Rs 5 crore and eight mobiles from Kumbhani and five others. In order to weaken the case against Asaram and Sai, they had a budget of Rs 13 crore for officials in police department, judiciary, medical and jail personnel,” said Rakesh Asthana, Surat Police Commissioner.
Police had arranged a trap to nab Kumbhani who was caught red-handed in a car with Sanghani while accepting cash Rs 1 crore in a bag. Police also recovered Rs 4 crore from another location in the city which was supposed to be paid to Kumbhani from Surat-based builder Ketan Patel.
The accused have been booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act and Indian Penal Code sections 213 (Taking gift to screen an offender from punishment), 217 (Public servant disobeying direction of law with intent to save person from punishment) and others. Police said that Kubhani was in touch with Sai’s followers and had agreed to help the rape accused and also promised to introduce other officials too. Sanghani, who is personal assistant of Asaram had long meeting with Kumbhani and expressed willingness to spend money for the purpose.
After Sai was arrested from Delhi-Haryana border, he was brought to Surat on December 4 on a transfer warrant along with two others who supported him after he was declared as absconder in a sexual assault case.
Two Surat-based sisters had lodged complaints against Sai and his father Asaram who is already in prison at Jodhpur in a similar case. Following this Surat police had booked Sai for rape, illegal confinement and other offences. Of these sisters, younger had claimed that she was sexually assaulted by Sai between the years 2002 to 2005, while the elder one said that she was sexually assaulted by Asaram from 1997 to 2006 at Asharam’s Ahmedabad Ashram.