Gurugram: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Wednesday arrested a retired Lieutenant Colonel, Amarjit Singh, allegedly for accepting a bribe of Rs 22.5 lakh at his farmhouse in Haryana’s Charkhi Dadri.
Speaking to ThePrint Thursday, an agency spokesperson said the CBI team had laid a trap to catch Singh in the act after a complaint was lodged against him and a preliminary verification of the bribe demand was made. The operation, conducted late night, also led to nabbing of an accomplice, Ramesh Kumar alias Mukesh Kumar, from Delhi.
The duo had demanded the bribe to ensure that a Rajasthan-based medical establishment remained empanelled under the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), the spokesperson said.
According to the FIR registered by the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) in Chandigarh, the complainant, Dr Rakesh Kumar, Director of Mehta Multi-Specialty Hospital in Rajgarh, Rajasthan, alleged that Amarjit Singh, a resident of Chandwas village in Charkhi Dadri, had demanded the bribe. ThePrint has accessed the FIR.
Singh, former in-charge of an ECHS polyclinic in Rajgarh, along with Ramesh Kumar, former contractual clerk at ECHS Regional Centre, Hisar, threatened to have the hospital de-empanelled unless the bribe was paid, the FIR states.
Dr Kumar stated that on 15 March this year, a few persons claiming to be ECHS officials visited his hospital and seized 20-22 ECHS cards of retired servicemen, without providing any documents for the same.
Subsequently, Singh contacted Dr Kumar, assuring him that the matter could be resolved for Rs 25 lakh. After negotiations, the amount was reduced to Rs 22.5 lakh, according to the FIR.
Singh claimed he would coordinate with Ramesh Kumar and “Colonel Sumit Walia, from ECHS Regional Centre, Hisar, to facilitate the deal”.
Following Dr Kumar’s complaint, inspector Arun Ahlawat of ACB, Chandigarh, proceeded to verify the charges.
Dr Kumar, equipped with a voice recorder, engaged in a conversation with Singh, who reiterated the bribe demand and arranged for a telephone discussion with Ramesh Kumar, according to the CBI.
The recorded conversation, transcribed by sub-inspector Manish Kaushik, confirmed the duo’s intent to extort Rs 22.5 lakh to resolve the issue of the seized ECHS cards and “de-empanelment”.
Acting on this evidence, a 20-member CBI team laid a trap for Singh Wednesday.
Dr Kumar was sent to Singh’s farmhouse with cash treated with chemical powder. Around 1.30 am, the CBI team, supported by Badhra police, raided the location and caught Singh accepting the money, the spokesperson said.
Simultaneously, another CBI team apprehended Ramesh Kumar in Delhi. Both were taken to Badhra police station for questioning before being transported to Chandigarh for court proceedings.
According to the spokesperson, Singh, during his tenure in the army, was associated with the ECHS panel and maintained contacts post-retirement, which he leveraged to extort money.
The CBI has registered a case under Section 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 7A (taking undue advantage to influence public servant by corrupt or illegal means) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The role of Colonel Sumit Walia, referenced in the conversations, is under investigation.
The CBI is also conducting searches at the premises of the accused at various places, and has so far recovered Rs 25 lakh in cash from the premises of Ramesh Kumar, the spokesperson said.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)