New Delhi [India], July 19 (ANI): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday arrested a man for allegedly impersonating an official of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying at Krishi Bhawan in the national capital and demanding bribes from applicants seeking loans under the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF).
According to the CBI, the case was registered by its Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), Dehradun, on June 29. The accused allegedly posed as an official of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying and demanded a bribe of Rs 45,000, equivalent to two per cent of a loan amount of Rs 22.5 lakh, from a complainant running a poultry farm in Village Lalpur, Tehsil Kashipur, Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand. The complainant had applied for a loan under the AHIDF through the Udyami Mitra (SIDBI) portal.
The agency said it laid a trap on June 29 during which the accused accepted Rs 5,000 as the first instalment of the bribe by sending a QR code to the complainant’s mobile phone. Based on the QR code and bank account details, the CBI arrested another private person at his residence on June 30. However, during questioning, it was found that he was not the main accused, who had been impersonating the government official and had absconded.
During the investigation, the CBI found that the main accused had access to information related to AHIDF loan applicants and applications. He allegedly contacted a large number of applicants daily, demanding money by threatening rejection of loan applications, seeking resubmission of documents or promising loan approvals. By posing as an AHIDF official and using details of applicants’ loan applications, he allegedly collected money from several applicants on a daily basis.
The investigation further revealed that the accused received money through UPI payments made to QR codes linked to bank accounts of other applicants and subsequently transferred the funds to other bank accounts through UPI transactions.
The CBI said its teams carried out extensive efforts to trace the absconding accused by visiting Delhi, Agra and adjoining areas. Investigators analysed call detail records (CDRs) of various mobile numbers linked to the accused, examined bank accounts of suspected persons, scrutinised IP addresses connected with loan applications and questioned officials of SIDBI, AHIDF and several loan applicants.
According to the agency, digital surveillance and source-based inputs revealed that the accused was using multiple mobile numbers to demand money and frequently changed his location between Agra, Jaipur and Delhi to evade arrest.
The CBI traced the accused to his residence in Village Chhota Pootha Bisarana, under Dauki Police Station, Tehsil Fatehabad, Agra district of Uttar Pradesh, where he was arrested.
The accused will be produced before the competent court in Dehradun. The CBI also conducted searches at his residence and seized incriminating documents and other material.
The investigation is ongoing, the agency said. (ANI)
Related reading
