AHMEDABAD: A special CBI court here on Saturday sent two Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers to custodial interrogation till July 7 after they were arrested on graft charges for allegedly demanding Rs 75 lakh bribe from a Surat-based businessman, whose firm is under probe for Rs 104-crore bank fraud.
After producing ED’s deputy director Purna Kam Singh and assistant director Bhuvnesh Kumar for allegedly receiving Rs 5 lakh bribe through a middleman, the investigating officer of the CBI sought their remand for five days.
In seeking their custodial interrogation, the probe agency submitted that the demand was for a huge amount and it is necessary to find out who other officers are who may be involved in this case.
There appears a connivance of the accused with the angadiya firm, which is required to be investigated. Two other persons’ involvement in transaction of the bribe amount is also needed to be probed.
The probe agency also submitted in the court that the accused persons were not cooperating.
Moreover, there is a requirement to collect additional electronic evidences by recording specimen voice, handwriting and their fingerprints, for which the accused persons’ custody was needed.
It was also submitted that there is a requirement to investigate into their properties, which might have been created from undue advantages received in the past.
Singh’s advocate Amit Nair objected to the remand application by rebutting the charges. He argued that the complainant in the case has an axe to grind against the officer because his alleged bank fraud was under investigation by the CBI and the ED got into the picture.
