Rajendra Kumar Rajendra Kumar

In a big embarrassment to the Delhi government, a close aide of Arvind Kejriwal’s Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar, who was arrested by the CBI in a graft case, on Wednesday admitted taking bribes on his behest.

According to CBI sources, Ashok Kumar confessed before the agency that he took bribes on behest of Rajendra Kumar.

Ashok Kumar, close aide of Rajendra Kumar has allegedly admitted taking bribes on behest of Rajendra Kumar: CBI Sources — ANI (@ANI_news) July 6, 2016

Rajendra Kumar and four others were on Wednesday brought face to face by CBI officials in connection with the probe in an alleged corruption case.

Sources said that all the accused are being confronted with each other to unravel the conspiracy behind the alleged scam.

The evidence gathered by the CBI during the probe so far are being shown to the accused, who were also told about the alleged monetary benefits they got by engaging in alleged corrupt practices in award of Delhi Government contracts to a private firm -Endeavour Systems.

Meanwhile, the agency officials claimed to have found the trail of money, which was given to the accused as bribe, the sources said.

Kumar and four others were arrested by the CBI on Monday for allegedly showing undue favours to a private company in award of government contracts worth over Rs 50 crore. They were yesterday sent to five days CBI remand by a court.

The arrest of top government official has triggered a political storm with the Delhi government accusing the Centre of indulging in “political vendetta” and “paralysing” governance.

Kumar, a 1989 batch IAS officer of union territories cadre, and Tarun Sharma, a Deputy Secretary in Kejriwal’s office, are those who have been arrested in the case. The other accused are– Ashok Kumar, a former Delhi government employee considered a close aide of Rajendra Kumar, besides owners of the private firm Sandeep Kumar and Dinesh Gupta.

The CBI had registered a case in this regard in December last year alleging that Kumar had abused his official position by “favouring a particular firm in the last few years in getting tenders of Delhi government departments”.

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