The Central agency is now probing the role of “a senior public servant posted in Delhi”, who allegedly told Raja he could arrange relief in the CBI cases. (File Photo)CBI has arrested a Delhi Police inspector for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 1 crore from the prime accused in the Rs 5,000-crore counterfeit medicine racket in Puducherry on the promise of securing relief in the cases filed by the agency.On June 8, the Central Bureau of Investigation registered an FIR against Pradeep Singh, an inspector with the Delhi Police Crime Branch’s Southern Range, N Raja alias Valliappan alias Rajasekhar, and Rajkumar alias Madhanraj, who is alleged to have acted as an intermediary. The FIR also names unknown public servants and private individuals.The amount was the first instalment of a larger payoff, according to CBI.The Central agency is now probing the role of “a senior public servant posted in Delhi”, who allegedly told Raja he could arrange relief in the CBI cases through his connections within the agency and demanded Rs 3 crore from him.Also Read | CBI arrests Anti-Narcotics Cell Inspector in corruption case, woman claims drugs ‘planted at house, bribe sought’According to the FIR, a source revealed that Singh, in criminal conspiracy with the other accused, had been indulging in corrupt activities by facilitating the payment of illegal gratification to secure undue relief in the CBI cases. He also claimed he had influence over investigating officers and other public servants connected with the probe.Raja is the prime accused in a major Rs 5,000-crore counterfeit and spurious medicines racket that allegedly operated out of Puducherry. The illegal manufacturing operation was uncovered following raids by the police and the CB-CID in Puducherry last year, during which massive stocks of fake drugs and raw materials were seized. He was arrested in December.The Puducherry Police later found the involvement of several politicians, and, given the gravity of the case, the investigation was transferred to CBI. The agency officially registered a fresh case against Raja in March this year.Story continues below this ad“After the fresh registration of the FIR, Raja started looking for a source in the CBI and met Inspector Singh, who assured him that he could secure major relief in the CBI case through his contacts. He was told that his senior officer would help him and would charge a fee for doing so,” an official said.According to the FIR, Raja and Rajkumar met Singh at Aerocity near IGI Airport on May 14. “Singh allegedly escorted both of them to the office of an unidentified senior public servant located in the vicinity and introduced them to him. During the meeting, the senior public servant allegedly assured Raja that favourable relief in the CBI cases could be secured through his connections within the agency,” the FIR alleged.The FIR further alleged that on May 16, Raja told his wife that the public servant had agreed to help in the pending cases in return for Rs 3 crore and had sought an advance of Rs 1.5 crore.“Raja then allegedly began arranging the money through his contacts. Rajkumar later travelled to Vadodara and met Singh to work out the modalities for delivering the bribe money to public servants in Delhi. After the meeting, both allegedly travelled to Delhi together. Raja asked his wife to keep the funds ready, as the advance payment had to be delivered urgently, and contacted a hawala operator in Chennai to transfer Rs 1 crore to Delhi as part of the advance bribe payment,” the FIR said.Story continues below this adIt added that the money was to be delivered to Singh in the Chandni Chowk area on June 8, but they were caught by CBI.Last month, CBI arrested an inspector posted with the Delhi Police’s Anti-Narcotics Cell in Dwarka district in a corruption case. The agency recovered cash worth around Rs 48 lakh during a raid following the arrest of one of his juniors.Mahender Singh Manral is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. He is known for his impactful and breaking stories. He covers the Ministry of Home Affairs, Investigative Agencies, National Investigative Agency, Central Bureau of Investigation, Law Enforcement Agencies, Paramilitary Forces, and internal security. Prior to this, Manral had extensively reported on city-based crime stories along with that he also covered the anti-corruption branch of the Delhi government for a decade. He is known for his knack for News and a detailed understanding of stories. He also worked with Mail Today as a senior correspondent for eleven months. He has also worked with The Pioneer for two years where he was exclusively covering crime beat. During his initial days of the career he also worked with The Statesman newspaper in the national capital, where he was entrusted with beats like crime, education, and the Delhi Jal Board. A graduate in Mass Communication, Manral is always in search of stories that impact lives. ... Read More Tags:CBIDelhi Police