CBI arrests its own officer for 'fabricating statement' against Alok Verma

NEW DELHI: The feud within the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) further deepened on Monday after the agency arrested one of its own investigating officers for allegedly fabricating a statement to implicate its director Alok Verma in the Moin Qureshi case.

CBI has alleged that the officer, Devinder Kumar, a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) in the agency, did so in abid to “corroborate the baseless allegations” of CBI second-incommand special director Rakesh Asthana against Verma.

The arrest comes days after CBI registered an FIR against Asthana and Kumar along with a Dubai-based middleman Manoj Prasad based on a complaint by one Hyderabad-based businessman, Satish Babu Sana, who was a witness in the Qureshi case. Kumar was the investigating officer (IO) in the case.


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CBI has alleged that Kumar fabricated the statement at the behest of Asthana to falsely implicate the CBI director. Significantly, CBI has expanded the scope of its investigation by probing the “role of other officers” of the special investigation team which was investigating the Qureshi case.

Asthana heads this SIT. As per agency sources, Prasad had once met Chetan Sandesara, promoter of Sterling Biotech, in London. The Sandesara family is wanted by CBI and ED in a bank fraud case.

Kumar was first raided within the CBI premises after which he was arrested. CBI said that Kumar showed a statement of Sana that was recorded on September 26 in Delhi. However, it claimed Sana was not present in Delhi on that date. According to the agency, investigation revealed that Sana was in Hyderabad on September 26 and joined the investigation in Delhi only on October 1.

In the allegedly fabricated statement signed by the IO dated September 26, Sana is quoted: “During June 2018, I had discussed my case with one of my old friends CM Ramesh, a Rajya Sabha member who assured that he will talk to the concerned director.

Subsequently, when I met with CM Ramesh, he told me that he had personally met director CBI regarding my case and examination by CBI. Ramesh also informed that I will not be called again in this case. Since from June onwards, I was not called by CBI, I was under the impression that investigation against me is completed”.

The CBI, in a statement, added it was found that “Devinder Kumar had fabricated this statement as an afterthought plan to corroborate the baseless allegations made by special director Rakesh Asthana against director, CBI Alok Verma to CVC”.

It further said: “Looking into the seriousness of the matter, role of other officers of SIT, CBI then supervising the Moin Qureshi case are also being probed”. The agency registered an FIR against Asthana, Kumar and two private persons on October 15 on the complaint of a “witness” in the Moin Qureshi case.

Sana alleged that he was pressured to pay a bribe of Rs 5 crore to Asthana for a clean chit in the investigation against him.