CBI case against ED official who probed IPL betting scam

A senior Enforcement Directorate (ED) official in Ahmedabad found himself in trouble on Wednesday after the CBI registered a case of corruption following claims that he accepted bribe of crores of rupees.

The CBI conducted searches at the Enforcement Directorate's Ahmedabad office after registration of the case against ED Joint Director J P Singh, a 2000 batch Indian Revenue Service officer of Customs and Excise wing who was investigating the IPL betting probe.

The action came on the basis of a complaint received from the directorate. The case has been registered under relevant provisions of criminal conspiracy under Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act against Singh and unknown officials of the ED.

According to CBI sources, it is alleged that Singh's father-in-law S K S Somvanshi, a retired IRS officer of 1978 batch, received Rs 15 crore from hawala dealers and tax consultants for giving relief and extending favours to suspects in two cases probed by the ED.

The two cases are – Rs 2,000 crore IPL betting scandal and Rs 5,000 crore money laundering case against alleged hawala operator Afroz Fatta.

Searches were also conducted in the residences of Singh and Additional Directors Sanjay Kumar and P S Srinivas, both ED cadre officers in Ahmedabad, and Somvanshi here in Delhi, sources said.

The ED had received several complaints on demand for bribe by senior officials of Ahmedabad unit. The CBI conducted preliminary probe into the information and put suspects under surveillance.