New Delhi, July 1 (IANS) A Delhi court on Wednesday sent 2012-batch Haryana cadre IPS officer Deepak Gahlawat to one day custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with an alleged bribery case.

Gahlawat, currently posted on Central deputation with the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) in Delhi, was produced before the Rouse Avenue Courts after being arrested by the CBI earlier in the day.

The CBI had sought five days’ custodial interrogation of the accused. However, the court allowed the probe agency’s plea in part and remanded Gahlawat to one day’s CBI custody for further investigation.

Opposing the CBI’s plea for custodial interrogation, counsel for Gahlawat argued that the IPS officer had already joined the investigation on four occasions and had cooperated with the probe throughout.

The defence further submitted that the Rs 50,000 allegedly credited to his bank account was merely an advance received towards the sale of his old car.

It also argued that no public servant accepting a bribe would receive the money in his personal bank account.

According to the CBI, the Central agency had registered a case on June 8 against a Delhi Police Inspector and two private individuals.

During the course of the investigation, it allegedly came to light that Gahlawat had demanded illegal gratification, claiming that he could use his personal influence to secure relief for certain private individuals in cases being investigated by the CBI relating to the sale of counterfeit drugs in Puducherry.

Earlier in the investigation, the CBI had arrested Delhi Police Inspector Pradeep Singh along with six private individuals.

The probe agency had recovered approximately Rs 25 lakh as trap money and seized around Rs 90 lakh in cash, besides several incriminating documents.

The CBI also conducted searches at multiple premises linked to Gahlawat. During the searches, investigators seized several digital devices, hard disks and documents believed to be relevant to the case. The investigation is continuing.

–IANS

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