NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (
CBI
) has arrested another cop on
bribery charges
, making him the sixth Delhi Police personnel to be
booked
in such a case within a month. The accused has been identified as Vijay Bhatia, a sub-inspector posted at southeast Delhi's Jamia Nagar police station.
Police commissioner Sanjay Arora is learnt to have asked the respective special commissioner to take corrective action in the wake of massive CBI raids on the department.
The latest arrest happened after a man complained that a police officer had demanded bribe in his case. "It was alleged that the accused cop, who was the investigating officer, had demanded Rs 50,000 from the complainant for diluting the case against him and others and for not arresting his maid and guard," CBI spokesperson RC Joshi said.
The agency started a probe after registering an FIR and mounted surveillance. A trap was laid and Bhatia was arrested red-handed while accepting Rs 45,000. "Searches are being conducted on his premises. He had been produced before the court. Further investigation is continuing," the spokesperson added.
In the past one year, there has been a sharp rise in the instances of corruption allegations against Delhi Police, leading to an enhanced crackdown by CBI. Mid-Jan, CBI arrested a traffic cop red-handed while accepting Rs 4,000 from a complainant. The victim had hired five vehicles for lifting construction garbage, which were allegedly stopped by the policeman who demanded bribe on a monthly basis.
A cop in Narela was booked earlier on charges of demanding and accepting a bribe from a company's accountant for not arresting him in a criminal case. CBI had also arrested two cops posted at the Sonia Vihar police station in a "bribe-for-construction" case and another cop from the Sagarpur police station for allegedly demanding Rs 1 lakh for not arresting an accused in a case.
Last year, around two dozen policemen were booked by CBI on bribery charges. In Nov, two sub-inspectors posted at the Barakhamba Road police station were arrested for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 4.5 lakh. South Delhi police stations like Hauz Khas and Maidangarhi witnessed CBI multiple raids in three months and cops posted there were arrested.
Some senior cops defended the raids, claiming that the nod was given by the police commissioner himself. But CBI officials said no approval, formal or informal, was required for action against corruption.
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