The disproportionate assets case was registered against the couple in December 2007 after the agency received an anonymous complaint against Agarwal.
The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), on Friday, arrested additional commissioner of Central Excise, Virendra Agarwal and his wife Pramila, in a disproportionate assets case of 2007. According to CBI authorities, the couple allegedly possessed assets worth Rs45.72 lakh, earned through illegal sources.
“Agarwal and his wife have been remanded to police custody till November 16. We are interrogating them further,” said Pravin Salunkhe, superintendent of police, ACB, CBI.
The disproportionate assets case was registered against the couple in December 2007 after the agency received an anonymous complaint against Agarwal. A further inquiry revealed that the couple had huge assets accumulated in the period from 1994 to 2007 through illegal sources of income. Agarwal, who has worked in various capacities in Mumbai and Pune, is currently posted in Baroda.
Salunkhe added that investigations revealed that the couple possessed huge amounts of assets including plush flats in Versova and Vasai, and movable assets worth more than Rs25 lakh like National Saving Certificates and gold jewellery. “Whenever questioned about these possessions, the couple never gave us any satisfactory answer. They even repeatedly misled us about the source of acquisition,” said Salunkhe.
According to Salunkhe, the Agarwals did not cooperate during the investigations and continued to conceal several important facts from the investigating officers. Besides, whenever called for interrogations, Agarwal and his wife did not show up, thus extending the procedures. The CBI authorities finally decided to arrest the couple and conduct a proper custodial interrogation.
Agarwal’s wife Pramila works as a head clerk with the Central Railway. The couple was arrested from their house in Matunga where Pramila resides. “We are in the process of searching their residence,” added Salunkhe.
The officers had laid a trap to arrest Agarwal a fortnight ago. However, they were not to be found in their Mumbai residence or at Baroda. On Friday, the CBI learnt that Agarwal was on his way to Mumbai to meet his wife when they arrested the couple from their house.
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