J&K: CBI officer, probing several scams, dies in motorcycle accident in Jammu

NEW DELHI: An officer of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who had handled a probe into some major corruption cases in Jammu, died when his motorcycle skidded on the road while reportedly crossing a speed breaker in Jammu on Friday night.

A resident of Jammu’s Plaura, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Prashant Sharma was returning home on his Royal Enfield bike when he met with the accident. Sharma was rushed to the Medical College, Jammu from where he was shifted to a hospital in Punjab for specialised treatment for critical injuries to the head, but died en route to the hospital in Punjab.

The post-mortem was conducted at the Government Medical College, Jammu and the funeral took place on Saturday where a Guard of Honour was accorded to the departed officer.

Sharma joined the CBI in 1991 as a constable, and in 2000, he was promoted to the rank of sub-inspector after clearing an examination. Over the course of his career, Sharma was posted at several places including the North-East, Mumbai, Delhi, Srinagar and for a long time in Jammu.

According to a CBI officer, Sharma has been with the agency for the past 25 years and involved in different investigations. Sharma has handled several big scam cases in Jammu, including the J&K sub-inspector recruitment scam and was declared as the best investigating officer by the CBI in 2021. He is survived by his wife and two sons. His family has demanded a thorough probe into the case.

Senior PDP leader and former J&K minister Naeem Akhtar also demanded an impartial probe into the circumstances leading to his death. He said that the CBI officer had been probing some high-profile cases.