A day after the CBI arrested two of its own officers — a superintendent of police (SP) and an inspector — in a bribery case, the agency took into custody two private persons, Dinesh Gupta and Rajesh Patisia, on Saturday. Following his arrest, CBI SP Vivek Dutt alleged that he was being framed to shunt him from Coalgate probe. However, the CBI denied the charge.
CBI SP Vivek Dutt, Inspector Rajesh Karnatak, Dinesh Gupta, and Rajesh Patisia were remanded in three-day CBI custody on Saturday. The accused CBI officers will be confronted with Dinesh Gupta and Rajesh Patisia. The agency will also probe if Vivek Dutt and Rajesh Karnatak had played any dubious role in the investigation of the coal scam.
The CBI is already conducting an internal enquiry over allegations by Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal that the information of the impending raids against the coal block beneficiary firms was leaked beforehand.
Meanwhile, Dutt, who was handling the Coalgate case against JlD Yavatmal Energy ltd, has alleged that someone wanted him out of the SC-monitored probe team. The allegation was strongly denied by the CBI, which said Dutt has been arrested in a trap case that is not related to the coal scam probe.
According to the FIR, Dutt is alleged to have misused his official position to facilitate out-of-the-court settlement of a pending land dispute of the private persons for `1 crore. CBI SP Dutt and Inspector Karnatak were assured by Dinesh Gupta and Rajesh Patisia of payment of `7 lakh if the land dispute case with the Delhi Police was settled in their favour. Karnatak received the bribe amount of `7 lakh on behalf of the beleaguered SP.
Dinesh Gupta is a Rajasthan-based businessman who had a land dispute in Delhi. Gupta with his associate Patisia had roped in CBI SP Dutt to use his influence in Delhi Police to settle the case in his favour.
Dutt and Karnatak were put under surveillance by the internal vigilance and special crime unit of the CBI. The case was registered on source information. Dutt was transferred to the CBI’s Economic Offences Wing last year from the agency’s training academy at Ghaziabad. Dutt allegedly threatened the Delhi Police investigating officer, who was probing Dinesh Gupta’s land deal case.
The Delhi Police officer was told to file a favourable enquiry report. During hearing of the remand application, the CBI prosecutor told the court that Dutt and Karnatak were in the same branch in the agency and Patisia was in regular contact with them.
CBI told the court that Dinesh Gupta had a land dispute and a cheating case was registered against him at Amar Colony police station in Delhi. Dutt used to pressurise the Delhi Police officials to quash the FIR and for this he had demanded Rs 15 lakh from Gupta.
The prosecutor said the SHO of Amar Colony police station was initially reluctant but later he succumbed to the pressure and the FIR was quashed. The prosecutor told the court that Rs 15 lakh cash was recovered from Patisia, Karnatak and Gupta. CBI has recorded many conversations between Dutt and the SHO of Amar Colony police station. There are four independent witnesses who were present at the time when the cash was recovered from the possession of the accused.