MHA official in net for attempting to bribe CBI DIG

A Section Officer in Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and another person were arrested on Thursday for offering Rs two crore to a CBI official to manage a preliminary enquiry into irregularities in the dealings between a public sector undertaking and a private company.

The duo -- MHA official Dheeraj Kumar Singh and Dinesh Chand Gupta -- were arrested allegedly with Rs 16 lakh, which is said to be the first instalment of bribe money that has to be given to the official investigating the case.

The CBI made the arrests after the agency's Deputy Inspector General (DIG)-ranked officer complained that the MHA official had approached him with the offer.

Singh, who is posted in Police-I division of the ministry, allegedly made the offer to manage the case, sources said.

Immediately after the offer, the DIG apprised his seniors and filed a complaint. A trap was laid and during negotiations monitored by investigators, the two suspects agreed to pay the first instalment of Rs 16 lakh on Thursday and Singh and Gupta were arrested when they came to make the payment.

The CBI also searches at the residence of Singh and Gupta, which resulted in the recovery of incriminating documents.

In a statement, the CBI advised the public "not to attempt to settle any investigation matters with the CBI by using influence and also not to be allured by services of middlemen who may offer to settle cases with the agency".