Bollywood angle in Censor Board chief's arrest probed

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is investigating whether arrested Censor Board CEO Rakesh Kumar received bribes from some Bollywood producers for speedy certification of their films after the watchdog threatened to take a tough stand on item songs.

Kumar was arrested by the CBI on Monday evening for allegedly demanding a Rs 70,000 bribe for clearing a movie from Chhattisgarh.

Sources said Kumar and two others, including an agent and an advisory panel member of the Central Board of Film Certification, are being questioned and they have hinted about some Bollywood producers apparently paying money to get their movies cleared in time.

Though the present case deals only with the Chhattisgarh movie, sources said, CBI sleuths are probing the veracity of the information they received that some top producers of Bollywood had allegedly paid bribe to get their films cleared. No other producer had approached police or CBI with a complaint against Kumar.