Modi's India: CBI men thrashed by fellow CBI man's family & friends
New Delhi: When a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team went to interrogate and serve a notice to one of their own men in a land scam case in a village in Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, on Saturday, they thought that the operation would be over within an hour and they would return with the accused, also a Central Bureau of Investigation official. Little did they expect that they would be held hostage, abused and thrashed with sticks and would have to return with just an FIR in a local police station against the accused and his family members in Ecotech-3 police station.
The team, comprising of an inspector, a sub-inspector, two constables and one woman constable was attacked by members of accused Central Bureau of Investigation ASI Sunil Dutt's extended family and others in Sonpura village in order to help him escape from the place. "The team was forced inside the premises and beaten. It is also alleged that the mobile phones, diaries, I-cards of some team members were burnt. The team was kept hostage and thrashed. The accused Sunil Dutt fled through the backdoor of the premises," said a CBI officer.
The Central Bureau of Investigation said that it filed a complaint with the local police, following which an FIR was registered. It is probing a 2014 case of alleged land fraud, amounting to Rs 126 crore, linked to the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA). On February 3 the agency booked two of its officials posted in Ghaziabad, both of whom were probing the case, on charges of criminal conspiracy and under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The accused Central Bureau of Investigation Inspector V S Rathore was arrested while ASI Sunil Dutt has been absconding. Dutt's brother Yudhveer Singh has been arrested after the assault.
"Information was received at Ecotech-3 police station about the family and relatives of the accused misbehaving with Central Bureau of Investigation officials. The police immediately reached the spot and detained some persons from the spot. The complaint of misbehaviour was found true, a case has been registered and legal proceedings are underway," informed Superintendent of Police (Rural) Vineet Jaiswal.
The relatives have been charged with holding government officials hostage, assaulting them and obstructing government officials. "Dutt's brother Yudhveer Singh has been arrested," said an officer.
According to police, some Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority officials, including its former CEO P C Gupta, in association with private firms had purchased around 57 hectares "useless" land in 2014 in seven villages of Mathura in lieu of compensation to their owners by the Authority. But the compensation amount was much higher than what was defined by the Authority for such purchases.
