india

Updated: Feb 04, 2019 07:44 IST

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested its own officer for allegedly trying to influence an investigation carried out by the Uttar Pradesh police into the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) land fraud, said officials.

The alleged fraud came to light when 57 hectares of land, purchased by the expressway development authority from some private firms in 2009-2010, were later declared “useless”. It is alleged that a compensation higher than what the YEIDA had defined was paid to these firms. A former chief executive officer of YEIDA — an IAS officer — is a suspect.

HT has seen the first information report (FIR) registered by the CBI in this connection.

Besides inspector VS Rathore, the agency has named an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) as accused in the case. The FIR states both officials — Rathore and ASI Sunil Dutt — were posted in the agency’s training academy in Ghaziabad.

According to the FIR, both the officials were allegedly trying to influence the probe into the YEIDA scam in favour of a tehsildar of Uttar Pradesh. The incident allegedly took place when the probe was under the process of being transferred to the CBI from Uttar Pradesh police, it said.

“During the course of investigation in the said case/cases, three accomplices [of] Shri Ranveer Singh [the UP tehsildar] surrendered themselves and joined investigation a few days back. In lieu of obtaining relief for them from custodial harassment, Shri Ranveer Singh has already paid an illegal gratification to the tune of Rs 10 lakhs, on demand from Shri VS Rathore and Shri Sunil Dutt who were learnt to be managing the investigation of this case with the help of unknown officials of Uttar Pradesh police,” says the FIR.

Further, Rathore and Dutt allegedly demanded Rs 25 lakh from the tehsildar in lieu of showing “nil” in the seizure report. Singh allegedly agreed to pay Rs 20 lakh, the FIR said.

The FIR alleged that Singh had kept his money with a person residing in Sainik Farms area of Delhi from where he was supposed to collect the bribe money to be paid to Rathore and Dutt.

“The CBI on Saturday arrested Rathore and Singh in this regard on the charges of accepting and receiving bribe money,” said an agency official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.