News Analysis India

Tag: CBI

  • Abu Salem, aide get 3-yr imprisonment in fake passport case

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: Serving a life sentence in connection with 1993 Mumbai blasts, fugitive Abu Salem has been awarded a three-year jail term by a special CBI court of Lucknow in a case of fake passport here on Tuesday. Salem’s close aide Parvez Alam has also been sentenced in connection with the case.

    Absconding in connection with the Mumbai blast case, Salem was arrested in Portugal in October 2002 and he was extradited to India in November, of the same year. Since then, Salem had been in Navi Mumbai’s Taloja jail and as per the condition of his extradition, he has to be released from the jail after 25 years of incarceration. 

    Salem, belonging to the infamous Saraimir locality of Sanjarpur in Azamgarh district, was produced in Lucknow CBI court along with Parvez Alam on September 13, this year to attend the concluding arguments in a case of getting a fake passport made by him.

    The Special Judicial Magistrate of CBI court Samridhi Mishra had reserved the order and had given September 27 as the date for delivering the sentence. As per the details of the case, Abu Salem had got fake passports made for himself and his then-wife Sameer Jumani under fake names on the basis of the fake documents in Lucknow in 1993. Salem procured the passport on July 6, 1993 with the help of Parvez Alam.

    LUCKNOW: Serving a life sentence in connection with 1993 Mumbai blasts, fugitive Abu Salem has been awarded a three-year jail term by a special CBI court of Lucknow in a case of fake passport here on Tuesday. Salem’s close aide Parvez Alam has also been sentenced in connection with the case.

    Absconding in connection with the Mumbai blast case, Salem was arrested in Portugal in October 2002 and he was extradited to India in November, of the same year. Since then, Salem had been in Navi Mumbai’s Taloja jail and as per the condition of his extradition, he has to be released from the jail after 25 years of incarceration. 

    Salem, belonging to the infamous Saraimir locality of Sanjarpur in Azamgarh district, was produced in Lucknow CBI court along with Parvez Alam on September 13, this year to attend the concluding arguments in a case of getting a fake passport made by him.

    The Special Judicial Magistrate of CBI court Samridhi Mishra had reserved the order and had given September 27 as the date for delivering the sentence. As per the details of the case, Abu Salem had got fake passports made for himself and his then-wife Sameer Jumani under fake names on the basis of the fake documents in Lucknow in 1993. Salem procured the passport on July 6, 1993 with the help of Parvez Alam.

  • Delhi Excise Policy case: CBI arrests businessman Vijay Nair 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The CBI arrested businessman Vijay Nair on Tuesday in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy scam case in which Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia is also an accused, officials said.

    Nair, who was abroad for quite some time, was called for questioning at the agency office on Tuesday, they said.

    Sources said Nair was arrested for his alleged role in “cartelisation” and “conspiracy” related to alleged irregularities in the allocation of liquor licence in the national capital.

    The FIR has alleged that Arjun Pandey, an associate of Sisodia, had once collected about Rs 2-4 crore in cash from liquor businessman Sameer Mahendru on behalf of Nair, former CEO of Only Much Louder, an entertainment and event management company.

    ALSO READ: ED summons AAP’s MCD poll in-charge in excise policy scam case, claims Sisodia

    NEW DELHI: The CBI arrested businessman Vijay Nair on Tuesday in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy scam case in which Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia is also an accused, officials said.

    Nair, who was abroad for quite some time, was called for questioning at the agency office on Tuesday, they said.

    Sources said Nair was arrested for his alleged role in “cartelisation” and “conspiracy” related to alleged irregularities in the allocation of liquor licence in the national capital.

    The FIR has alleged that Arjun Pandey, an associate of Sisodia, had once collected about Rs 2-4 crore in cash from liquor businessman Sameer Mahendru on behalf of Nair, former CEO of Only Much Louder, an entertainment and event management company.

    ALSO READ: ED summons AAP’s MCD poll in-charge in excise policy scam case, claims Sisodia

  • Over 40 deaths in Vyapam scam continue to be a mystery

    By IANS

    BHOPAL: The Vyapam scam, which has irregularities in three categories — impersonation, manipulation and engine- bogie (nexus between government employees and middlemen), came to light in 2013. The CBI in its several chargesheets has listed over 1200 accused in different categories, including forgery, bribery, misuse of government office and others.

    However, more than the irregularities in conducting the exams in as many as 13 categories and recruitment of state government employees, including medical and teachers, a number of mysterious deaths of the accused and the witnesses after the scam surfaced shook the nation. And those deaths remain a mystery even today even as 50-55 cases have been disposed off by the special CBI court in Bhopal.

    On record, there are more than 40 people associated with the scam who have died since it broke in 2013. A senior Public Prosecutor representing the CBI in the court said, “Over 55 people have died so far, including some during the court proceedings due to which many accused and co-accused were acquitted.”

    Most of the people who were either accused or witnesses in the cover-up have died due to alcohol-related illnesses, suicide or road accidents. At least ten middlemen have died in road accidents since 2010, three years before the scam broke.

    The deaths include accused and witnesses as well as a journalist who was investigating the scam, and have largely been under mysterious circumstances. At least five persons died in strange circumstances, within a period of one week in 2015, including the dean of a Jabalpur medical college Dr Arun Sharma, medical student Namrata Damor and TV journalist Akshay Singh, who was probing the scam.

    The other persons who died in suspicious circumstances include Shailesh Yadav, who was the son of then Madhya Pradesh Governor (late) Ramnaresh Yadav. Shailesh, who was named as an accused in the multi-crore Vyapam scam, was found dead under mysterious circumstances at his father’s official residence in March 2015.

    Similarly, a constable Sanjay Yadav, who was a witness in the case was found dead at his house a day before he was to appear in the court. “See, there was a strong nexus of politicians, senior bureaucrats ans even police officials and they wanted to stop witnesses at any cast. People were targeted and killed. Who killed these people and who was behind it is still a mystery and is likely to remain so,” said a Bhopal-based activist, who refused to identify himself.

    BHOPAL: The Vyapam scam, which has irregularities in three categories — impersonation, manipulation and engine- bogie (nexus between government employees and middlemen), came to light in 2013. The CBI in its several chargesheets has listed over 1200 accused in different categories, including forgery, bribery, misuse of government office and others.

    However, more than the irregularities in conducting the exams in as many as 13 categories and recruitment of state government employees, including medical and teachers, a number of mysterious deaths of the accused and the witnesses after the scam surfaced shook the nation. And those deaths remain a mystery even today even as 50-55 cases have been disposed off by the special CBI court in Bhopal.

    On record, there are more than 40 people associated with the scam who have died since it broke in 2013. A senior Public Prosecutor representing the CBI in the court said, “Over 55 people have died so far, including some during the court proceedings due to which many accused and co-accused were acquitted.”

    Most of the people who were either accused or witnesses in the cover-up have died due to alcohol-related illnesses, suicide or road accidents. At least ten middlemen have died in road accidents since 2010, three years before the scam broke.

    The deaths include accused and witnesses as well as a journalist who was investigating the scam, and have largely been under mysterious circumstances. At least five persons died in strange circumstances, within a period of one week in 2015, including the dean of a Jabalpur medical college Dr Arun Sharma, medical student Namrata Damor and TV journalist Akshay Singh, who was probing the scam.

    The other persons who died in suspicious circumstances include Shailesh Yadav, who was the son of then Madhya Pradesh Governor (late) Ramnaresh Yadav. Shailesh, who was named as an accused in the multi-crore Vyapam scam, was found dead under mysterious circumstances at his father’s official residence in March 2015.

    Similarly, a constable Sanjay Yadav, who was a witness in the case was found dead at his house a day before he was to appear in the court. “See, there was a strong nexus of politicians, senior bureaucrats ans even police officials and they wanted to stop witnesses at any cast. People were targeted and killed. Who killed these people and who was behind it is still a mystery and is likely to remain so,” said a Bhopal-based activist, who refused to identify himself.

  • Operation ‘Megha Chakra’: CBI cracks down against online child sexual abuse, raids 56 locations

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The CBI on Saturday carried out searches at 56 locations in 19 states and a Union Territory in connection with two cases of circulation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) online as part of Operation ‘Megha Chakra’, officials said.

    The searches were based on inputs from Interpol Singapore and intelligence obtained during last year’s Operation Carbon, conducted against peddlers of CSAM on the Internet using cloud storage, they said.

    The operation is targeted at cloud storage facilities used by the peddlers to circulate audio-visuals of illicit sexual activities with minors, thus earning the code ‘Megha Chakra’.

    The agency, being the first agency to set up a cyber crime unit, has hit CSAM peddlers across India, an official said.

    NEW DELHI: The CBI on Saturday carried out searches at 56 locations in 19 states and a Union Territory in connection with two cases of circulation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) online as part of Operation ‘Megha Chakra’, officials said.

    The searches were based on inputs from Interpol Singapore and intelligence obtained during last year’s Operation Carbon, conducted against peddlers of CSAM on the Internet using cloud storage, they said.

    The operation is targeted at cloud storage facilities used by the peddlers to circulate audio-visuals of illicit sexual activities with minors, thus earning the code ‘Megha Chakra’.

    The agency, being the first agency to set up a cyber crime unit, has hit CSAM peddlers across India, an official said.

  • CBI arrests ABG Shipyard founder Rishi Agarwal in Rs 22,842 crore bank fraud case 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The CBI on Wednesday arrested Rishi Kamlesh Agarwal, the founder of ABG Shipyard Limited, in connection with an alleged bank fraud of more than Rs 22,842 crore, officials said.

    The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had booked Agarwal, a former chairman of the company, the then executive director Santhanam Muthaswamy, and directors Ashwini Kumar, Sushil Kumar Agarwal and Ravi Vimal Nevetia on February 7.

    Agarwal was called for questioning on Wednesday at the CBI headquarters during which the investigating officer suspected that he was not co-operating in the probe and was evasive in responses following which he was arrested, the officials said.

    The CBI had registered the case on a complaint from the State Bank of India for the alleged offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust and abuse of official position under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act, they said.

    The SBI with an exposure of Rs 2,468.51 crore was part of a consortium of 28 banks and financial institutions led by ICICI Bank, the officials said.

    The ABG Shipyard being a major player in Indian ship building industry operated from its shipyards located at Dahej and Surat in Gujarat with capacity to build vessels up to 18,000 dead weight tonnage (DWT) at Surat shipyard and 1,20,000 dead weight tonnage (DWT) at Dahej shipyard.

    The company, which had witnessed phenomenal rise having constructed 165 vessels in 16 years, started showing stress following global slump in the shipping industry bringing irregularities in repayment schedule.

    “The cancellation of contracts for few ships and vessels resulted in piling up of inventory.

    This has resulted in paucity of working capital and caused significant increase in the operating cycle, thereby aggravating the liquidity problem and financial problem,” the complaint from the SBI, now part of the FIR, has said.

    In its complaint, the SBI said there was no demand of commercial vessels because of downturn in the industry even in 2015, which was further aggravated due to lack of defence orders making it difficult for the company to maintain repayment schedule.

    Once the loan accounts were declared non-performing assets in July 2016, a forensic audit was ordered by the lender banks.

    The audit by Ernst and Young showed that between 2012 and 2017, the accused colluded together and committed illegal activities, including diversion of funds, misappropriation and criminal breach of trust, the officials said.

    Funds were used for purposes other than for which they were released by banks, they said, adding that the company has been “referred to NCLT, Ahmedabad, by ICICI Bank for Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP)”.

    The bank had first filed a complaint on November 8, 2019 on which the CBI had sought some clarifications on March 12, 2020.

    It filed a fresh complaint in August that year.

    After “scrutinising” for over one-and-a-half years, the CBI acted on the complaint filing an FIR on February 7.

    NEW DELHI: The CBI on Wednesday arrested Rishi Kamlesh Agarwal, the founder of ABG Shipyard Limited, in connection with an alleged bank fraud of more than Rs 22,842 crore, officials said.

    The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had booked Agarwal, a former chairman of the company, the then executive director Santhanam Muthaswamy, and directors Ashwini Kumar, Sushil Kumar Agarwal and Ravi Vimal Nevetia on February 7.

    Agarwal was called for questioning on Wednesday at the CBI headquarters during which the investigating officer suspected that he was not co-operating in the probe and was evasive in responses following which he was arrested, the officials said.

    The CBI had registered the case on a complaint from the State Bank of India for the alleged offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust and abuse of official position under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act, they said.

    The SBI with an exposure of Rs 2,468.51 crore was part of a consortium of 28 banks and financial institutions led by ICICI Bank, the officials said.

    The ABG Shipyard being a major player in Indian ship building industry operated from its shipyards located at Dahej and Surat in Gujarat with capacity to build vessels up to 18,000 dead weight tonnage (DWT) at Surat shipyard and 1,20,000 dead weight tonnage (DWT) at Dahej shipyard.

    The company, which had witnessed phenomenal rise having constructed 165 vessels in 16 years, started showing stress following global slump in the shipping industry bringing irregularities in repayment schedule.

    “The cancellation of contracts for few ships and vessels resulted in piling up of inventory.

    This has resulted in paucity of working capital and caused significant increase in the operating cycle, thereby aggravating the liquidity problem and financial problem,” the complaint from the SBI, now part of the FIR, has said.

    In its complaint, the SBI said there was no demand of commercial vessels because of downturn in the industry even in 2015, which was further aggravated due to lack of defence orders making it difficult for the company to maintain repayment schedule.

    Once the loan accounts were declared non-performing assets in July 2016, a forensic audit was ordered by the lender banks.

    The audit by Ernst and Young showed that between 2012 and 2017, the accused colluded together and committed illegal activities, including diversion of funds, misappropriation and criminal breach of trust, the officials said.

    Funds were used for purposes other than for which they were released by banks, they said, adding that the company has been “referred to NCLT, Ahmedabad, by ICICI Bank for Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP)”.

    The bank had first filed a complaint on November 8, 2019 on which the CBI had sought some clarifications on March 12, 2020.

    It filed a fresh complaint in August that year.

    After “scrutinising” for over one-and-a-half years, the CBI acted on the complaint filing an FIR on February 7.

  • ‘Don’t believe PM behind misuse of CBI, ED’: Mamata as resolution against agencies’ ‘excesses’ passed

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she doesn’t believe that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is behind the alleged excesses of central agencies in the state. She instead blamed a section of the BJP leaders for misusing them to serve their interests, adding that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) now reports to the Union Home Ministry, controlled by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

    Banerjee, who was speaking on a resolution in the Assembly against the ‘excesses’ of the central probe agencies, urged the Prime Minister to ensure that the agenda of the union government and the interests of his party do not get mixed up.

    The BJP opposed the resolution which was later passed by the Assembly.

    “The present union government is behaving in a dictatorial way. This resolution is not against anyone in particular, but against the biased functioning of the central agencies,” Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, said.

    “Businessmen are leaving the country and running away. They are running away because of fear and misuse of ED (Enforcement Directorate) and the CBI. I believe Modi hasn’t done this,” she told the assembly during a debate before the resolution.

    “Many of you don’t know that the CBI doesn’t report to the PMO (Prime Minister’s Office) anymore. It reports to the Home Ministry. Some BJP leaders are conspiring and they go to Nizam Palace often,” the Chief Minister added.

    READ HERE | Bengal first state to pass resolution against ED, CBI and other central agencies in Assembly

    Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said such a “resolution against the CBI and ED” is against the rules and regulations of the Assembly.

    The resolution was passed through division, with 189 voting in favour of it and 69 against.

    Central agencies such as CBI and ED are probing into several cases in the state, in which senior TMC leaders are accused.

    (With online desk inputs)

    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she doesn’t believe that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is behind the alleged excesses of central agencies in the state. She instead blamed a section of the BJP leaders for misusing them to serve their interests, adding that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) now reports to the Union Home Ministry, controlled by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

    Banerjee, who was speaking on a resolution in the Assembly against the ‘excesses’ of the central probe agencies, urged the Prime Minister to ensure that the agenda of the union government and the interests of his party do not get mixed up.

    The BJP opposed the resolution which was later passed by the Assembly.

    “The present union government is behaving in a dictatorial way. This resolution is not against anyone in particular, but against the biased functioning of the central agencies,” Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, said.

    “Businessmen are leaving the country and running away. They are running away because of fear and misuse of ED (Enforcement Directorate) and the CBI. I believe Modi hasn’t done this,” she told the assembly during a debate before the resolution.

    “Many of you don’t know that the CBI doesn’t report to the PMO (Prime Minister’s Office) anymore. It reports to the Home Ministry. Some BJP leaders are conspiring and they go to Nizam Palace often,” the Chief Minister added.

    READ HERE | Bengal first state to pass resolution against ED, CBI and other central agencies in Assembly

    Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said such a “resolution against the CBI and ED” is against the rules and regulations of the Assembly.

    The resolution was passed through division, with 189 voting in favour of it and 69 against.

    Central agencies such as CBI and ED are probing into several cases in the state, in which senior TMC leaders are accused.

    (With online desk inputs)

  • IRCTC scam: CBI moves court seeking cancellation of bail granted to Tejashwi Yadav

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI:  The CBI on Saturday moved a court here seeking the cancellation of bail granted to Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav in the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) scam.

    Special Judge Geetanjali Goel issued a notice to Yadav on the application moved by the probe agency and sought his reply by September 28.

    The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said Yadav, in a recent press conference, attempted to subvert the process of law and thwart the entire investigation as well as the consequent trial, and “blatantly abused the liberty granted to him”.

    “The tone and tenor is condemnable, intimidating and unfortunate, to say the least” . The said statements are not concerned to one case alone, but form a part of the larger design of the accused.

    “The said statements are not only scandalous but are also a clear attempt to prevent the trial from reaching its logical conclusion,” the agency said in its application.

    It added that through his statements at the conference, while Yadav issued a “direct threat to CBI officers and their families”, he also issued an “indirect threat to witnesses”

    “The accused has openly warned the CBI officers against carrying out the investigations, also resorting to innuendoes and threats in the process. Through such statements, the accused had indirectly and automatically threatened and attempted to influence the witnesses of the case,” it said.

    The agency also said the Bihar minister attempted to “portray the CBI in bad light and under the influence of political parties” by using innuendoes such as ‘jamai’ of a political party against it.

    The application further added that Yadav also undermined “the authority of the court” through his statements used in the conference.

    “Through such statements, the accused undermines the process of law, the investigation and the consequential trial and is as such an attempt to interfere with the administration of justice,” it added.

    The CBI said Yadav, being the son of former chief ministers of Bihar and himself the deputy CM, “is highly influential and powerful” and that his “scandalous statements” demonstrate his attempt to yield undue influence and power to prevent the case from reaching its logical conclusion.

    “The accused is no common man and exercises control and influence over a large number of people, all of whom are directly and indirectly affected and impacted by the implications of such scandalous statements,” it said.

    The court had in October 2018 granted bail to Yadav after he appeared before it in pursuance to summons issued against him in the matter related to alleged irregularities in granting the operational contract of two IRCTC hotels to a private firm.

    NEW DELHI:  The CBI on Saturday moved a court here seeking the cancellation of bail granted to Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav in the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) scam.

    Special Judge Geetanjali Goel issued a notice to Yadav on the application moved by the probe agency and sought his reply by September 28.

    The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said Yadav, in a recent press conference, attempted to subvert the process of law and thwart the entire investigation as well as the consequent trial, and “blatantly abused the liberty granted to him”.

    “The tone and tenor is condemnable, intimidating and unfortunate, to say the least” . The said statements are not concerned to one case alone, but form a part of the larger design of the accused.

    “The said statements are not only scandalous but are also a clear attempt to prevent the trial from reaching its logical conclusion,” the agency said in its application.

    It added that through his statements at the conference, while Yadav issued a “direct threat to CBI officers and their families”, he also issued an “indirect threat to witnesses”

    “The accused has openly warned the CBI officers against carrying out the investigations, also resorting to innuendoes and threats in the process. Through such statements, the accused had indirectly and automatically threatened and attempted to influence the witnesses of the case,” it said.

    The agency also said the Bihar minister attempted to “portray the CBI in bad light and under the influence of political parties” by using innuendoes such as ‘jamai’ of a political party against it.

    The application further added that Yadav also undermined “the authority of the court” through his statements used in the conference.

    “Through such statements, the accused undermines the process of law, the investigation and the consequential trial and is as such an attempt to interfere with the administration of justice,” it added.

    The CBI said Yadav, being the son of former chief ministers of Bihar and himself the deputy CM, “is highly influential and powerful” and that his “scandalous statements” demonstrate his attempt to yield undue influence and power to prevent the case from reaching its logical conclusion.

    “The accused is no common man and exercises control and influence over a large number of people, all of whom are directly and indirectly affected and impacted by the implications of such scandalous statements,” it said.

    The court had in October 2018 granted bail to Yadav after he appeared before it in pursuance to summons issued against him in the matter related to alleged irregularities in granting the operational contract of two IRCTC hotels to a private firm.

  • Will seek Interpol help to crack Dhanbad judge murder case: CBI to Jharkhand High Court 

    By PTI

    RANCHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has petitioned before the Jharkhand High Court informing a bench that it will seek the help of Interpol to crack the Dhanbad judge murder case.

    The agency informed a division bench of Chief Justice Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad on Friday that it has come across some digital evidence which needs to be verified from the WhatsApp headquarters in the US.

    The CBI has already shot a letter to the Union Home Ministry for its approval to take help from Interpol, the court was informed.

    In the course of proceedings, the bench was informed that WhatsApp chats have been gathered from the accused persons which indicates the involvement of more people in the conspiracy behind the death of Dhanbad district court judge Uttam Anand on July 28 last year.

    A team of CBI sleuths will have to go to the headquarters of WhatsApp in the US and recover chat details to reach to the bottom of the conspiracy.

    The court ordered the agency to furnish a status report on the matter and file an affidavit. The case will be heard again on October 14.

    Earlier, WhatsApp representatives had appeared before the Jharkhand High Court through Supreme Court lawyer Kapil Sibal and assured the court of all cooperation in the investigation.

    Last month, a special CBI court in Dhanbad had announced the quantum of punishment and sentenced an autorickshaw driver and another person to life imprisonment in connection with the murder of Anand.

    Besides imprisonment till death, the bench slapped a fine of Rs 20,000 on both convicts under IPC Section 302 (murder).

    The CBI judge had also sentenced the duo to seven years in jail and imposed Rs 10,000 fine on each under IPC Section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, giving false information to protect offender).

    Both sentences will run concurrently. Anand was hit by a heavy autorickshaw on July 28 last year at Randhir Verma Chowk close to district court while he was jogging around 5.30 am. He died the same day.

    CCTV camera footage showed that the judge was jogging on one side of a fairly wide road at Randhir Verma Chowk in Dhanbad when the three-wheeler veered towards him, hit him from behind and fled the scene.

    An SIT was initially formed to probe the matter, but the Jharkhand government later handed over the case to the CBI.

    RANCHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has petitioned before the Jharkhand High Court informing a bench that it will seek the help of Interpol to crack the Dhanbad judge murder case.

    The agency informed a division bench of Chief Justice Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad on Friday that it has come across some digital evidence which needs to be verified from the WhatsApp headquarters in the US.

    The CBI has already shot a letter to the Union Home Ministry for its approval to take help from Interpol, the court was informed.

    In the course of proceedings, the bench was informed that WhatsApp chats have been gathered from the accused persons which indicates the involvement of more people in the conspiracy behind the death of Dhanbad district court judge Uttam Anand on July 28 last year.

    A team of CBI sleuths will have to go to the headquarters of WhatsApp in the US and recover chat details to reach to the bottom of the conspiracy.

    The court ordered the agency to furnish a status report on the matter and file an affidavit. The case will be heard again on October 14.

    Earlier, WhatsApp representatives had appeared before the Jharkhand High Court through Supreme Court lawyer Kapil Sibal and assured the court of all cooperation in the investigation.

    Last month, a special CBI court in Dhanbad had announced the quantum of punishment and sentenced an autorickshaw driver and another person to life imprisonment in connection with the murder of Anand.

    Besides imprisonment till death, the bench slapped a fine of Rs 20,000 on both convicts under IPC Section 302 (murder).

    The CBI judge had also sentenced the duo to seven years in jail and imposed Rs 10,000 fine on each under IPC Section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, giving false information to protect offender).

    Both sentences will run concurrently. Anand was hit by a heavy autorickshaw on July 28 last year at Randhir Verma Chowk close to district court while he was jogging around 5.30 am. He died the same day.

    CCTV camera footage showed that the judge was jogging on one side of a fairly wide road at Randhir Verma Chowk in Dhanbad when the three-wheeler veered towards him, hit him from behind and fled the scene.

    An SIT was initially formed to probe the matter, but the Jharkhand government later handed over the case to the CBI.

  • CBI conducting searches at 33 locations over ‘irregularities’ in J-K sub-inspectors recruitment

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The CBI Tuesday started a search operation at 33 locations, including the premises of ex-Jammu and Kashmir SSB chairman Khalid Jahangir, over alleged irregularities in the recruitment process of sub-inspectors in the Union Territory, officials said.

    The premises of Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) Controller of Examinations Ashok Kumar are also being searched, they said.

    The searches are spread across Jammu, Srinagar; Karnal, Mahendergarh, Rewari in Haryana; Gandhinagar in Gujarat; Delhi; Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh and Bengaluru in Karnataka.

    This is the second round of searches conducted by the CBI in connection with its probe into alleged irregularities, they said.

    “The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case on the request of the Jammu and Kashmir administration against 33 accused. On the allegations of irregularities in written examination for the posts of Sub-Inspectors in the J&K Police on 27.03.2022, conducted by J&K Services Selection Board (JKSSB),” the CBI said on August 5 after the registration of the FIR.

    The exam results were declared on June 4 this year after which allegations of malpractices in the examination surfaced.

    The Jammu and Kashmir administration constituted an inquiry committee to look into the charges.

    “It was alleged that the accused entered in conspiracy amongst officials of JKSSB, Bengaluru-based private company, beneficiary candidates and others, and caused gross irregularities in the conduct of written examination for the posts of sub-inspectors. It was further alleged that there was an abnormally high percentage of selected candidates from Jammu, Rajouri and Samba districts,” the CBI has said.

    JKSSB had allegedly violated rules in outsourcing the setting of question papers to a Bengaluru-based private company, the probe agency had said.

    NEW DELHI: The CBI Tuesday started a search operation at 33 locations, including the premises of ex-Jammu and Kashmir SSB chairman Khalid Jahangir, over alleged irregularities in the recruitment process of sub-inspectors in the Union Territory, officials said.

    The premises of Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) Controller of Examinations Ashok Kumar are also being searched, they said.

    The searches are spread across Jammu, Srinagar; Karnal, Mahendergarh, Rewari in Haryana; Gandhinagar in Gujarat; Delhi; Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh and Bengaluru in Karnataka.

    This is the second round of searches conducted by the CBI in connection with its probe into alleged irregularities, they said.

    “The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case on the request of the Jammu and Kashmir administration against 33 accused. On the allegations of irregularities in written examination for the posts of Sub-Inspectors in the J&K Police on 27.03.2022, conducted by J&K Services Selection Board (JKSSB),” the CBI said on August 5 after the registration of the FIR.

    The exam results were declared on June 4 this year after which allegations of malpractices in the examination surfaced.

    The Jammu and Kashmir administration constituted an inquiry committee to look into the charges.

    “It was alleged that the accused entered in conspiracy amongst officials of JKSSB, Bengaluru-based private company, beneficiary candidates and others, and caused gross irregularities in the conduct of written examination for the posts of sub-inspectors. It was further alleged that there was an abnormally high percentage of selected candidates from Jammu, Rajouri and Samba districts,” the CBI has said.

    JKSSB had allegedly violated rules in outsourcing the setting of question papers to a Bengaluru-based private company, the probe agency had said.

  • Cattle smuggling: Lawyer arrested for writing threat letter to CBI judge hearing Anubrata’s case

    By PTI

    ASANSOL: A lawyer has been arrested for allegedly writing a threat letter to a CBI judge hearing the case of arrested TMC strongman Anubrata Mondal, police said on Tuesday.

    The accused, Sudipta Roy, was nabbed from BNR More in Asansol city on Monday night for allegedly threatening special CBI judge Rajesh Chakraborty with a drug case if Mondal, the TMC Birbhum district president, is not granted bail in a cattle smuggling case.

    He was arrested after his mobile tower location was tracked down while he was attempting to return home, a police officer said.

    During investigation, it was revealed that the accused, out of personal enmity with Asansol District Court head clerk and TMC leader Bappaditya Chattopadhyay, had impersonated him, using his name and official stamp, while sending the threat letter, the officer said.

    “The accused had sent the letter to the CBI court judge on August 23 by speed post to frame Chattopadhyay, his old enemy,” he said.

    The arrested lawyer had allegedly threatened Chattopadhyay a few days ago, he added.

    Chattopadhyay, in a secret statement under Section 164, had on August 26 stated about Roy’s threat.

    Following this, an investigation was initiated by the Asansol-Durgapur Police Intelligence Department.

    Last week, Chakraborty had written to Paschim Bardhaman district judge, urging him to take note of the threat and bring it to the notice of the registrar, judicial service, and appellate side of the Calcutta High Court.

    A fake Aadhaar card in Chattopadhyay’s name was found from the possession of Roy.

    During investigation, it was also found that Roy had earlier forged a stamp of a judge and was also booked in a drug case, the police officer said.

    Mondal was arrested by the CBI on August 11 in the cattle smuggling case.

    He is presently in 14-day judicial custody in Asansol.

    The special CBI court in Asansol is hearing coal and cattle smuggling cases.

    Several people have been arrested.

    ASANSOL: A lawyer has been arrested for allegedly writing a threat letter to a CBI judge hearing the case of arrested TMC strongman Anubrata Mondal, police said on Tuesday.

    The accused, Sudipta Roy, was nabbed from BNR More in Asansol city on Monday night for allegedly threatening special CBI judge Rajesh Chakraborty with a drug case if Mondal, the TMC Birbhum district president, is not granted bail in a cattle smuggling case.

    He was arrested after his mobile tower location was tracked down while he was attempting to return home, a police officer said.

    During investigation, it was revealed that the accused, out of personal enmity with Asansol District Court head clerk and TMC leader Bappaditya Chattopadhyay, had impersonated him, using his name and official stamp, while sending the threat letter, the officer said.

    “The accused had sent the letter to the CBI court judge on August 23 by speed post to frame Chattopadhyay, his old enemy,” he said.

    The arrested lawyer had allegedly threatened Chattopadhyay a few days ago, he added.

    Chattopadhyay, in a secret statement under Section 164, had on August 26 stated about Roy’s threat.

    Following this, an investigation was initiated by the Asansol-Durgapur Police Intelligence Department.

    Last week, Chakraborty had written to Paschim Bardhaman district judge, urging him to take note of the threat and bring it to the notice of the registrar, judicial service, and appellate side of the Calcutta High Court.

    A fake Aadhaar card in Chattopadhyay’s name was found from the possession of Roy.

    During investigation, it was also found that Roy had earlier forged a stamp of a judge and was also booked in a drug case, the police officer said.

    Mondal was arrested by the CBI on August 11 in the cattle smuggling case.

    He is presently in 14-day judicial custody in Asansol.

    The special CBI court in Asansol is hearing coal and cattle smuggling cases.

    Several people have been arrested.