IPS officer Deepak Gahlawat arrested by CBI in Rs 3 crore bribery case
Gahlawat, a 2012-batch Haryana-cadre IPS officer, was serving as Regional Director of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security on central deputation when the alleged offence took place
PTC News Desk: The CBI has arrested senior IPS officer Deepak Gahlawat in an alleged Rs 3 crore bribery case related to an investigation into a fake drug manufacturing racket.
Gahlawat, a 2012-batch Haryana-cadre IPS officer, was serving as Regional Director of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security on central deputation when the alleged offence took place. Officials said he is accused of promising a Puducherry-based businessman a favourable outcome in a CBI investigation by allegedly using his influence over agency officials in exchange for a bribe.
“Searches have been conducted at multiple premises linked to the IPS officer and multiple digital devices, hard disks, and documents have been seized,” a CBI spokesperson said.
The arrest is linked to an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation on June 8 against Delhi Police Crime Branch Inspector Pradeep Singh, alleged middleman Rajkumar, and businessman N Raja.
Last month, the CBI arrested Singh, Rajkumar and five others during a trap operation. The agency recovered Rs 25 lakh as trap money, another Rs 90 lakh in cash, and several documents believed to be linked to the case.
“During investigation, it was disclosed that the IPS officer had demanded illegal gratification claiming that he could exercise his personal influence and obtain relief for private persons in the cases being investigated by CBI in relation to the sale of counterfeit drugs in Puducherry,” the officer said.
According to officials, Raja was already under CBI investigation in a fake drug manufacturing case registered earlier this year. They alleged that he contacted Singh, who reportedly assured him that he could influence the investigation.