New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation has apprehended two officials of the Enforcement Directorate's Lucknow office over their alleged involvement in accepting a bribe of ₹5 lakh, the agency said.
Those detained include Enforcement Officer Deepak Kumar and Head Constable Manoj Dwivedi, who is on deputation from the Central Reserve Police Force, the CBI said. The arrests follow an FIR registered against Dwivedi and unidentified ED personnel on a complaint from a member of the public.
The complaint alleged that Dwivedi demanded money to help the complainant's father in an ongoing ED investigation linked to an alleged bank fraud case, for which the father had received two summons in August and September. After the FIR was filed, the CBI set up a sting operation, leading to the head constable's arrest while he was allegedly accepting the bribe on behalf of Enforcement Officer Deepak Kumar. Both are now in custody.
The case puts a spotlight on allegations of corruption inside agencies that investigate financial crime. The Enforcement Directorate handles money laundering and related financial misconduct cases.
Separately, the CBI said it had arrested a proclaimed offender, Satyendra Kumar, in a fodder scam case, more than 25 years after he absconded. Kumar failed to appear for trial after a chargesheet was filed in 2001, and a permanent warrant was issued against him. Based on surveillance and intelligence, his location was traced to Nepal; he was apprehended at Lucknow railway station late on the night of October 22 while travelling from Guna in Madhya Pradesh. He is being brought to Ranchi on transit remand.