18 May,2013 11:52 AM IST | | Agencies
Vivek Dutt, who was heading the coal scam probe team, was arrested on Friday along with an inspector and two others for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs.15 lakh from a businessman outside the CBI headquarters in New Delhi.
The CBI, however, is claiming that the bribery case has nothing to do with the ongoing CBI blocks'' allocation scam probe.
CBI''s internal vigilance apprehended Inspector Rajesh while receiving the bribe on behalf of Dutt who was chief investigator in the coal blocks allocation scam case.
"We had information about the dealing and we continued to maintain surveillance on them. After monitoring them for pretty long, they were arrested for taking the bribe," CBI Director Ranjit Sinha said.
He said the CBI would inform the Supreme Court soon about the developments since the apex court had ruled that no official associated with the probe into the scam will be transferred without informing it.
CBI sources said the businessman, who gave the bribe, and another person party to the land dispute were also arrested.
They said the agency got a tip-off that Dutt, who was posted in its Economic Offences Wing, had allegedly struck a deal to settle a land dispute in return for illegal gratification.
They said Dutt had allegedly used his influence with Delhi Police officials to withdraw a petition from an ongoing land dispute case, which had benefitted the businessman.
The vigilance officials got the tip off that the alleged deal would materialise on Friday evening and informed the CBI Director about it who gave the go-ahead. The agency''s internal vigilance then arrested Rajesh when the money was changing hands.
Later, Dutt was also taken into custody.
The operation was carried out on a day when senior officials of CBI from across the country had congregated at the agency headquarters for their quarterly zonal meeting.
"My aim while taking over as CBI Director was to ensure zero tolerance of corruption", Sinha said.u00a0
