CBI nabs ED Deputy Director for graft

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a Deputy Director of the Enforcement Directorate in Odisha for allegedly taking Rs 20 lakh bribe from a Bhubaneswar-based businessman, an official said on Friday. According to the officials, the accused ED officer – identified as Chintan Raghuvanshi — allegedly demanded Rs 5 crore from Ratikanta Rout, who has a stone-mining business in Dhenkanal in Odisha, for giving him “relief” in an ED case registered against him. The agency conducted a trap operation after receiving inputs that he was allegedly going to take the first instalment of the bribe from Rout. According to the CBI’s FIR, Rout approached the agency with a complaint that he was summoned for questioning at the ED office in Bhubaneswar in March this year. Raghuvanshi allegedly called him to his chamber and asked him to meet a person called Bhaghti to get “relief” in the case. The FIR further alleged that since then, Bhaghti had been in contact with him, putting pressure on him over FaceTime to pay Raghuvanshi to settle the matter. On May 27, Bhaghti allegedly met Rout and said Raghuvanshi had demanded Rs 5 crore for “not attaching his hospital, not arresting him and settling his case”. After Rout expressed his inability to arrange such a large sum, Bhagti made him talk to Raghuvanshi, who reduced the demand to Rs 2 crore, added the FIR. Raghuvanshi, a 2013-batch IRS Officer of Customs and Indirect Taxes, was allegedly caught during the operation and arrested later after questioning.

India