CBI officer probing coalgate arrested on corruption charges

NEW DELHI: CBI on Friday arrested one of its own senior officers, Superintendent of Police Vivek Dutt, also the chief investigating officer probing the coal block allocation scam, on the charges of corruption.

A CBI spokesperson said SP Vivek Dutt and CBI inspector Rajesh Karnatak were arrested by a CBI Internal Vigilance team for taking money to the tune of 7 lakh from a private person for whom they helped settle a land dispute matter with the Delhi Police. The officers were so audacious that the SP had asked the inspector to accept the bribe right outside the CBI Headquarters from a private businessman from Alwar (Rajasthan). The Vigilance team swooped in as soon as the exchange of the money took place. The inspector admitted that he was accepting the bribe on behalf of Dutt. Both officers were subsequently arrested.

This is bound to bring more embarrassment to CBI which was criticised by the Supreme Court earlier this month for sharing its coal scam status report with the political executive. CBI is expected to inform the Supreme Court about the arrest of SP Vivek Dutt in a corruption case as he is the chief investigating officer of the coal scam probe and is posted in the Economic Offences Wing of CBI. SC had earlier asked CBI to submit resumes of all CBI officers who were associated with the Coalgate probe and also directed CBI to bring back a DIG-level officer, Ravi Kant, who probed the case in CBI but was transferred to the Intelligence Bureau. CBI officials clarified that the arrest of Dutt in the present case had nothing to do with the coal scam probe.