CBI arrests four for offering Rajya Sabha seats for Rs 100 cr in multi-state racket

The fifth accused fled from the scene after assaulting investigators, prompting the CBI to register a case with local police

The CBI has unearthed a racket of at least five men, including one presently staying in Karnataka’s Belgaum, allegedly involved in cheating people by offering Rajya Sabha seats for Rs 100 crore.

The agency has claimed that the racket was attempting to cheat people by “falsely assuring” them Rajya Sabha seats, Governorship, appointment as Chairman in different government-run organisations under the Union Government against payment.

The CBI said four of the five accused have been arrested during searches conducted by the investigating team. One of them fled from the scene after assaulting investigators, prompting the CBI to register a case with local police.

A case was registered by the CBI on July 15 against Kamalakar Premkumar Bandgar who belongs to Latur in Maharashtra, Mahendra Pal Arora, Abhishek Boora, Mohd Aijaz Khan (all from Delhi) and Ravindra Naik, who presently resides in Belgaum following the agency receiving information about the crime.

According to the FIR, Boora allegedly conspired with Bandgar to use his connections with highly placed government officials who are able to play pivotal roles in big appointments.

It claimed that the source information received by the agency’s investigators showed that Bandgar, Boora, Arora, Aijaz and Naik were “making efforts to cheat persons in the name of assuring them of candidature of Rajya Sabha against huge consideration to the tune of Rs 100 crore”.

The FIR said Bandgar, who was allegedly impersonated as a senior CBI official, told the other accused to “bring any sort of work that he can fix in lieu of payment of huge illegal gratification”.

The accused often “drop names of senior bureaucrats and political functionaries for impressing upon the client approaching them for some work either directly or through middlemen like Boora”.

The FIR also claimed that Bandgar was also allegedly threatening police personnel for showing favour to some person known to him for influencing the investigation of ongoing cases.