Chennai, Oct 15 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a Deputy Director of the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), a Delhi-based advocate and another private individual in connection with an alleged Rs one crore bribe demand linked to an investigation into the DHFL scam.
The arrested officer was identified as Harish Kumar Tanwar, a 2017-batch Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) officer posted as Deputy Director at the SFIO’s Chennai office.
The other accused are advocate Bharat Sharma and his relative, Aryan Sharma.
According to a CBI statement issued on Thursday, the arrests followed a complaint alleging that the SFIO officer, the advocate and others had sought Rs 1 crore from the complainant in exchange for favourable treatment in an ongoing investigation.
The SFIO, which functions under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, was examining a matter related to the DHFL scam. The alleged demand concerned assistance to the complainant in that investigation, the agency said.
After verifying the complaint, the CBI registered a First Information Report and laid a trap. Investigators arrested the three accused after Sharma allegedly accepted Rs 20 lakh from the complainant as an instalment of the demanded amount.
The CBI alleged that the advocate received the money for and on behalf of Tanwar. The Rs 20 lakh payment represented part of the alleged Rs 1 crore demand, according to the agency.
While the initial statement described those arrested by their official or professional roles, the CBI subsequently released their names in response to media queries. It identified Aryan Sharma as a relative of the advocate but did not specify the nature of their relationship.
The agency also conducted searches at premises associated with the public servant and the advocate. It said investigators recovered incriminating material connected with the case during these searches.
However, the statement did not provide details of the material seized or explain the specific role allegedly played by Aryan Sharma. It also did not elaborate on the precise favour sought by the complainant in the SFIO investigation.
The corruption case concerns the alleged attempt to obtain a bribe in connection with that investigation. The CBI said the investigation was underway. The allegations against the three arrested persons remain subject to investigation and judicial scrutiny. The agency’s release did not include any response from the accused or their representatives.
–IANS
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