The Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau has booked a Delhi Police Crime Branch officer and two Ahmedabad residents for demanding an Rs 80 lakh bribe. The case involves an alleged advance payment of Rs 10 lakh to influence a criminal investigation. One of the accused was caught red-handed during a trap operation in Ahmedabad.
On Friday, the Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) registered a case against Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Shivkumar of the Delhi Police Crime Branch, along with Chitresh Bhupendra Sutaria and Sanjay Patel, both from Ahmedabad. The trio is accused of demanding a bribe of Rs 80 lakh and accepting Rs 10 lakh in advance to remove the complainant's name from a chargesheet and return seized documents.
The incident traces back to July 29, when the Delhi Crime Branch raided the office of a visa consultant on C G Road in Ahmedabad. During the search, authorities seized two laptops, two printers, 17 passports, a wallet, Aadhaar card, ATM card, driving licence, voter ID, PAN card, two cheque books, and Rs 20,000 cash from the office and the complainant's vehicle. The complainant and the owner of Om Global Tours were taken to Navrangpura Police Station as co-accused in a Delhi FIR.
ASI Shivkumar contacted his friend Sanjay Patel, while the firm owner reached out to Chitresh Sutaria, who knew each other previously. Their intervention led to the immediate release of the complainant and owner, with Shivkumar issuing notices for them to appear in Delhi for statements.
In Delhi, Shivkumar allegedly demanded Rs 1 crore initially to avoid naming the complainant as an accused and to return the originals. He directed the complainant to negotiate with Sutaria and Patel, who repeatedly pressed for the bribe, but the complainant cited inability to pay such a sum.
Subsequently, the Delhi Crime Branch listed the complainant as a co-accused and fugitive in their case. Although a chargesheet was filed, it omitted mention of the seized documents. The accused then lowered the demand to Rs 80 lakh for removing his name and returning items, with Rs 10 lakh upfront.
The complainant approached the Gujarat ACB instead. Inspector S N Barot of Field-3, ACB Ahmedabad, laid a trap in Paldi, where Sutaria was caught accepting the Rs 10 lakh bribe in a car. The amount was recovered.
The ACB statement highlights the accused's role in intervening post-raid and pressuring for payments to manipulate the investigation.