Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday arrested a recovery officer with the Mumbai office of the Debts Recovery Tribunal (DRT) for allegedly demanding a bribe from a defaulter. The bribe was handed over to a middleman, who was allegedly acting on the officer’s instructions, and he was arrested as well.
According to CBI officials, the complainant represents a private financial institution. The DRT was handling a case lodged by the institution regarding a loan given by it which the debtor defaulted on. The debt amount was recovered and the process of releasing it to the institution was pending.
Recovery officer B.S. Sane, who was in charge of the case, contacted the complainant and demanded a bribe of ₹7 lakh in exchange for releasing the recovered amount.
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The complainant approached the CBI. The agency, after verifying the complainant’s allegation, set a trap. “In subsequent conversations, Mr. Sane demanded that the bribe amount be given to him by cheque, and also put the complainant in touch with a middleman, Vijay Kumar, to whom the cheque was supposed to be handed over,” said a CBI officer.
The middleman was taken into custody after he allegedly accepted the cheque from the complainant near the latter’s office in Mumbai.
The CBI team picked up Mr. Sane at his office.
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“During a search of Mr. Sane’s residence, we found documents pertaining to fixed deposits worth approximately ₹64 lakh, investments worth ₹9 lakh, and documents of property owned by him. We are evaluating the total worth of the assets and investigating the source of the wealth,” said the officer.
Mr. Sane and the middleman were produced in court on Monday and remanded in the CBI custody till Wednesday.