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CBI chief Alok Kumar Verma asks CBI to raid its HQ, arrest his own man

Move comes after PMO’s reprimand, Congress’ allegation of ‘credibility crisis’

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Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chief Alok Kumar Verma on Monday took the unusual step of himself ordering raids at the agency headquarters, which led to the arrest of another junior officer Devender Kumar, who was probing the case against Hyderabad-based businessman Satish Sana.

Verma took the unusual step after he was summoned by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and reprimanded by the Department of Personnel and Training.

The accused, Sana, is a businessman who owns the Playboy Club. The CBI claims it has arrested Kumar, who was probing Sana's role in an alleged corruption case involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi for alleged falsification of records. In February 2017, the CBI had registered an FIR against Qureshi and accused of being in a nexus with the agency's former chief AP Singh for settling CBI cases.

Sources said a team led by CBI special director Rakesh Asthana had recorded Sana's statement on September 26, 2008, where Sana had claimed Verma demanded Rs 2 crore as bribe. When this revelation came forward, Asthana forwarded a complaint to the CVC about alleged corruption by Verma.

It was alleged that Verma swung into action and took the case away from Kumar and handed it to his trusted lieutenant, joint director AK Sharma. Within a few days, Verma and Kumar then got a statement recorded against Asthana, who was earlier heading the probe. Verma and Kumar then leaked the documents against Asthana to lawyers and media persons.

The CBI arrested Kumar amid allegations that he forged the recording of Sana's statement, who has claimed he paid bribes to get relief in the Qureshi case. "It (CBI) found that Devender Kumar had fabricated this statement as an afterthought plan to corroborate the baseless allegations made by special director Rakesh Asthana against director Alok Kumar Verma to CVC," the CBI said in a statement.

BJP asks for faith in cbi

People’s faith in an institution like the CBI should continue, the BJP said, as a row erupted over two top agency officials levelling corruption and other serious charges against each other. Asked about the agency registering a case against its own special director Rakesh Asthana, BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi pointed out that there is also a report against its director Alok Verma. “There are two reports, one is against the director and another against the special director. We would like people’s faith in the CBI’s institution to continue,” she said.

Credibility crisis in CBI: Cong

The Congress on Monday said there is a serious credibility crisis in the CBI with its top officers accusing each other of massive corruption and blamed “vested interests” within the government for bringing the agency to “such a pass”. Congress president Rahul Gandhi alleged the CBI was being used as a “weapon of political vendetta”, and it was on a terminal decline and “at war with itself”. “Under this PM, the CBI is a weapon of political vendetta. An institution in terminal decline that’s at war with itself,” Rahul said.

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