The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested a senior Municipal Corporation of Delhi official in connection with an alleged bribery case linked to the licensing department. The officer, identified as Lt Col Abhishek Kumar Mishra, serves as Deputy Commissioner in Shahdara North.
According to officials, the action followed inputs that Mishra had demanded a bribe of ₹4 lakh. The case was registered after a complaint alleged that accounts officer Divyanshu Gautam had sought the amount from a licence inspector.
Acting on the complaint, the CBI set up a trap and apprehended both officials while they were allegedly accepting the bribe. The agency said preliminary findings indicate that the case may involve wider elements of corruption. Further details are expected to be released later.
In a separate development, a special CBI court in Thane has sentenced a former Income Tax officer to six months of rigorous imprisonment in a 19 year old bribery case. The court also imposed a fine of ₹4,000 on the accused, Deenanath Krishna Puthran, following a trial that extended over 18 years.
Two other individuals named in the case, a chartered accountant and a tax assistant, were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
The case dates back to 2007, when Puthran was posted as an Income Tax officer in Vashi, Navi Mumbai. A complaint was filed by Samraj Naikar, Managing Director of Shree Laxmi Electricals and Consultants Pvt Ltd, alleging that the officer was demanding ₹40,000 to clear tax related matters concerning him and his wife.
The CBI later conducted an operation on January 3, 2007, during which Puthran was caught accepting ₹20,000 as part of the alleged deal. The investigation also named chartered accountant Jayant Dattatray Adhyapak for alleged involvement, along with tax assistant Prakash Gunaji Nevrekar, who was accused of accepting an additional ₹1,000.
