I-T officer, wife get bail in money laundering case

The couple has also been ordered by the court to surrender within 10 days (Representational Image)

A court has allowed anticipatory bail to Income Tax Officer (ITO), Rakesh Jain and his wife Suneet Jain, in a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). However, the couple have also been ordered by the court to surrender within 10 days. After the CBI, the ED has also filed a chargesheet against the couple in a money laundering case. The ED has submitted a chargesheet against the couple under various sections of Prevention Of Money Laundering Act, 2002, against them on October 2.

Before the charges were to be framed against them by the court of District and Sessions Judge Balbir Singh, Jain moved an anticipatory bail along with his wife, which was granted by the court.

As per the ED investigations, both Rakesh and Suneet Jain had collected Rs 1,77,05,346 both in cash and gold via unethical means. According to reports, Rakesh was arrested by CBI sleuths on February 6, 2013, for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000 from a local businessman at his residence at Sector-22. Ashok Arora, a real estate businessman in his statement had alleged to the CBI that Rakesh had been demanding a bribe from him to settle his income tax notices pending against him.

Rakesh initially demanded a bribe of Rs 3.50 lakh, however, a deal was struck at Rs 2.50 lakh, out of which Rs 50,000 was paid as the first installment. The office of complainant was located in the neighborhood of the accused at ITO in Sector 22.

Meanwhile, CBI sleuths while investigation the matter also recovered two gold bricks weighing 1 kg each and Rs 36 lakh in cash along with documents of three bank lockers besides the bribe money from his house. The gold bricks are estimated to be worth over Rs 60 lakh besides the amount of the bribe.

However, later, after the CBI investigation, the ED also registered a case against Rakesh and his wife following the recoveries made by the CBI sleuths against him. ED is investigating the money-laundering aspect of the case.