CBI accused referred to a ‘big boy' in his chat

LUCKNOW: One of the alleged WhatsApp conversations that has been made part of the CBI's evidence in the bribery allegations against its former special director, Rakesh Asthana, has made a reference to a "big boy". Nowhere in the conversation is the CBI, the name of any officer or investigation agency mentioned.

The alleged conversation took place on December 18, 2017 between prime accused Manoj Prasad's brother, Somesh Prasad and an unknown person. Manoj has been arrested for allegedly seeking Rs 5 crore from a businessman on behalf of Asthana while Somesh is evading arrest.

Somesh's father-in-law, Sunil Mittal, whose name too figured in the FIR, has already rubbished these allegations as bogus. The CBI has not even recorded any statement by Mittal regarding the alleged acceptance of a Rs 1.95 crore bribe on December 13, 2017 in the parking lot of Press Club, Delhi. Also, there is no reference to any exchange of money or payment in this conversation.

In the conversation, Somesh Prasad, whose screen name is Somesh Srivastav, retorts to another man: "Tell him I will make him listen from the big boy himself what he has to say about him." He adds: "It will give total comfort to him."

To this, the other man, whose identity is unknown, responds, "We will do when he is here (sic)." The other man has pasted a conversation between him and a third person who is asking, "Bro, whatever my commitment I will full full…u don't worry about that (sic)."

CBI sources said the conversation is regarding the anxiety shown by Hyderabad-based businessman Satish Babu Sana, who is keen on visiting Dubai, to secure a deal to get his name cleared.

In its FIR, dated October 15, the CBI, quoting a complaint by Sana, had said that he said, "Somesh Prasad showed me DP of his WhatsApp contact picture, as available in his mobile phone, by stating that it was the CBI officer to whom he spoke and who assured favour to me in the CBI case in lieu of payment of Rs 5 crore (sic)."

It is not clear whether the CBI is in possession of any more WhatsApp conversations. At the time of this conversation, Sana was still being examined by the Enforcement Directorate along with another industrialist, Pradeep Koneru, to ascertain bribery allegations against former CBI chiefs A P Singh and Ranjit Sinha.

Though the screenshot shows a missed WhatsApp call, the app is banned in Dubai.