Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 22: The Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) today arrested red handed a Central Government official Kewal Krishan Sharma, Assistant Director, Handicrafts, Union Ministry of Textiles at Khalsa Chowk, Nanak Nagar red handed while accepting bribe of Rs 75,000 from a NGO chairman.
Kewal Krishan was arrested as soon as he received Rs 75,000 from NGO chairperson MR Puri of Bishnah at Khalsa Chowk, Nanak Nagar in lieu of Rs 10 lakh worth payment released in favour of NGO named-Mahila Grameen Hastkala Welfare Sadan, Bishnah for a training programme organised by it at Kathua for six months for the women.
The NGO had been paid Rs 10 lakh payment in two installments of Rs 5 lakh each.
Kewal Krishan Sharma, a resident of Preet Nagar, KC Colony, Digiana had been demanding Rs 75,000 corruption from the NGO for the payment released in its favour.
As Sharma was posted in Udhampur, he had asked Puri to make the payment to him at Jammu and Khalsa Chowk, Nanak Nagar was decided as the venue.
The CBI laid a trap for the Central official, who was apprehended red handed this afternoon while demanding and accepting Rs 75,000 worth corruption from MR Puri in the presence of independent eyewitnesses.
The amount of corruption was recovered from him, official sources said, adding the official was quizzed and then sent to CBI police station lock-up in Jammu.
A case under Section 12-B read with Section 161 RPC and Prevention of Corruption Act of Jammu and Kashmir had been registered by the CBI in FIR No. 52 of 2013 against KK Sharma and Rajesh Gupta, Upper Division Clerk in the office of Development Commissioner, Central Handicrafts, Udhampur.
Sources said both of them had been demanding corruption from the NGO for release of Rs 10 lakh worth funds. However, the UDC was not present at Khalsa Chowk, Nanak Nagar when the corruption amount was paid by Puri to the Assistant Director.
“Soon after the arrest of the Assistant Director, a CBI team conducted searches at his residence at Preet Nagar, KC Colony, Digiana and seized some documents,” sources said, adding further investigations in the case were in progress.
Dr Armandeep Singh, SP CBI, Jammu led the CBI team in the operation that comprised Inspectors Deedar Singh and Lalit Kumar and CBI official Bharat Bushan.
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