New Delhi, Oct 3: CBI has arrested an NIA Deputy Superintendent of Police, Ajay Pratap Singh, along with two middlemen for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 20 lakh in connection with an ongoing investigation. The incident began when Rocky Yadav, the owner of Ramaiya Construction, lodged a complaint against Singh, accusing him of extorting money by threatening to implicate his family in a case involving the illegal possession of unlicensed assault weapons.
According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Singh, on deputation from the Income Tax Department to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), demanded a bribe of Rs 2.5 crore to spare Yadav’s family from facing fabricated charges. Singh had searched Yadav’s premises on September 19 and summoned him for interrogation on September 26. During this time, Singh allegedly demanded an initial bribe of Rs 25 lakh, instructing Yadav to pay via a middleman whose contact information was provided on a handwritten note.
Yadav complied, arranging for his relative to deliver the money in Aurangabad, Bihar. On October 1, Singh summoned Yadav again, demanding an additional Rs 70 lakh and instructing that half be delivered the same day in Patna. Yadav, unable to fulfill the demand immediately, assured Singh that the money would be delivered by October 3 in Gaya.
After verifying the complaint, the CBI, in coordination with senior officers of the NIA, laid a trap and apprehended Singh and the two middlemen, Himanshu and Ritik Kumar Singh, while accepting Rs 20 lakh from Yadav. Searches conducted in Gaya, Patna, and Varanasi led to the recovery of the bribe money. The CBI’s swift action has exposed a major corruption scandal within the NIA, underscoring the importance of transparency and accountability in law enforcement agencies.