CBI arrests 5 customs officials, 1 agent in graft case

In a major swoop, the CBI has arrested five officials including four officers of the rank of Deputy Commissioners and one Superintendent from the Customs department, and a Customs House agent in an alleged bribery case.

The CBI, in a statement issued here on Tuesday, identified the six arrested persons as Mukesh Meena, Deputy Commissioner, Customs, Rummaging & Intelligence (R&I), Nhava Sheva, Rajeev Kumar Singh, Deputy Commissioner, Customs (M&P), Sudarshan Meena, Deputy Commissioner, Customs (SIIB), Sandeep Yadav, Deputy Commissioner, Customs, Manish Singh, Superintendent, Customs and Nilesh Singh, a Customs House Agent.

The CBI brought about the arrests after it laid a trap and caught two Deputy Commissioners and a private person(CHA) red handed while allegedly accepting Rs.5 lakh as first instalment of bribe from the partner of the complainant.

Searches were conducted at the residential and official premises of the accused.

“The role of two more Deputy Commissioners and a Superintendent was also found during our investigations,” a CBI official said,

After the investigations, the CBI has registered a case against a Deputy Commissioner, Customs (Rummaging & Intelligence, two Customs officers (R & I) and two private persons under 120 B of IPC and Sec. 7& 13(1)(d)of PC Act, 1988 on the allegations that the Customs officers in conspiracy with said private persons demanded gratification of Rs.50 lakh from the complainant, for managing the clearance of the consignment which was illegally kept on hold and for not holding his consignments which were in pipeline.

According to the CBI, the Customs House agent had assured the partner of the complainant that he would manage the officers of Special Intelligence & Investigation Branch (SIIB), Marine & Preventive (M & P) and R & I Wings of Customs and would clear the consignments without any hurdle.