CBI arrests 3 for posing as TRS MP’s staff to accept bribe

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested three people who posed as the personal staff of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Member of Parliament – Kavitha Maloth and demanded a bribe of ₹1 lakh from a man claiming they could get his work done in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), people familiar with the development said.

The accused – Shubhangi Gupta, Rajib Bhattacharya and Durgesh Kumar Maurya – had assured the complainant – Manmeet Singh Lamba – that they could get the demolition of his illegal construction stopped as they had contacts in MCD.

They were nabbed from 401, Saraswati Apartments, which is allotted to Maloth, MP from Mahbubabad constituency in Telangana.

In his complaint, Lamba alleged that Bhattacharya, who claimed to be the PA of the MP, called him on his mobile number threatening to demolish his illegal construction in Sardar Nagar area with the help of his contacts in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the officials said.

Bhattacharya had claimed that one “Malik Saab” in the MCD can help Lamba if he pays ₹five lakh to him, they said.

He also introduced Gupta as a “coordinator” of the MP. Maurya, Bhattacharya and Gupta together demanded ₹five lakh from Lamba. The amount was later reduced to ₹one lakh, according to the officials.

Lamba was asked to bring the money to 401, Saraswati Apartments, the officials said.

Maloth, while distancing herself from the accused persons, told HT over phone – “I have not appointed a PA in Delhi even after winning my constituency two years back. I only know Durgesh because he very recently joined as a driver but he mostly picked me from the airport and dropped me to a friend’s place in Gurugram.”