The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested a National Investigation Agency (NIA) Deputy Superintendent of Police (Dy SP), Ajay Pratap Singh, posted in Patna, along with two middlemen on Thursday for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 20 lakh in exchange for providing favors in an ongoing investigation.
The CBI acted on a complaint filed by Rocky Yadav, owner of Ramaiya Construction, who accused Singh of extorting money by threatening to falsely implicate his family in a case involving the illegal stockpiling of unlicensed firearms.
The NIA had earlier conducted searches at Yadav’s premises on September 19 and summoned him for questioning on September 26. Singh, who was temporarily deputed from the Income Tax department, allegedly demanded Rs 2.5 crore from Yadav to shield him from the case’s consequences.
Fearing for his family, Yadav agreed to the demand. On the day of the interrogation, Singh asked for an upfront payment of Rs 25 lakh and provided Yadav with a handwritten note containing a middleman’s phone number. Yadav’s relative delivered the money in Aurangabad, Bihar, with the transaction corroborated by Singh’s communication with the middleman.
On October 1, Singh called Yadav again, this time demanding Rs 70 lakh, instructing him to deliver half the amount that day in Patna. Singh provided another handwritten note with a contact number. Yadav requested additional time and committed to making the payment on October 3 in Gaya.
The CBI, after verifying Yadav’s claims and coordinating with the NIA, set a trap and apprehended Singh along with his two associates while accepting Rs 20 lakh in bribe money.
The two middlemen, identified as Himanshu and Ritik Kumar Singh, were also arrested. Multiple searches are ongoing in Gaya, Patna, and Varanasi, and Rs 20 lakh has been recovered, according to CBI officials.
