New Delhi: CBI has not been able to make any substantial recovery of cash or valuables from the office and residence of its Superintendent of Police Vivek Dutt, who was probing the high-profile coal block allocation scam when he was arrested under graft charges, sources claimed.
The agency has deputed Vidhi Kumar Birdi, a 2003 batch IPS officer from Jammu and Kashmir cadre, to replace Dutt in the coal block allocation probe. CBI had on Tuesday approached the Supreme Court seeking permission to remove Dutt after he was arrested along with Inspector Rajesh Chandra Karnatak on May 17 for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs seven lakh from a person to settle his land dispute.
The sources said agency has recovered just Rs 92,000 tucked in small bundles in the office of Dutt. Nearly Rs 35,000 in cash, including Rs 7000 which was taken out from the piggy bank of his kids, was seized from his residence which could be easily be explained by him, the said.
The sources, however, claimed to have "strong evidence" in telephonic conversations which were recorded during surveillance of the officer who was probing crucial coal block allocation scam. They said Dutt was in a meeting with a Joint Director when the alleged bribe was being given by the businessman to an inspector who was puportedly working as officer's accomplice.
CBI sources claimed businessman Dinesh Chand Gupta and middleman Rajesh Pasichia had called Dutt over phone on May 17 evening while they were coming to deliver the money but he did not pick his phone because he was in the meeting.
They said Inspector Rajesh Karnatak, however, came out of the agency headquarters to collect his share of money from them when he was apprehended by the agency which had laid the trap for him. Dutt's lawyers had claimed before the court that his arrest was part of conspiracy to remove him from the probe of coal scam as the agency had failed to make any substantial recovery either from him or his residence.
Comments
0 comment