KOCHI: The anti-corruption branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested four persons, including Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner A K Pratap and Assistant Chief Labour Commissioner, Kochi,D S Jhadav for “indulging in corrupt practices and collecting illegal gratification regularly from labour contractors”.
The two others nabbed were Labour Enforcement Officer C P Sunil and P K Aneesh Kumar, HR manager of a builder. And the arrests came after the premier probe agency swooped down on P K Aneesh Kumar while he was handing over Rs 25,000 to A K Pratap, Rs 25,000 to D S Jhadav and Rs 10,000 to C P Sunil respectively. Besides, Rs 50,000 was recovered from Pratap.
Following the seizure, an FIR was filed against A K Pratap and D S Jhadav before the Court of Special Judge-II, CBI, Ernakulam, on Thursday. They were later remanded in judicial custody. The CBI Court will hear the custody application filed by the probe agency for interrogating the accused persons. Also, the accused have filed bail application before the court.
The CBI,meanwhile,said in a release that it received reliable information that both the Labour Commissioners had entered into criminal conspiracy, and that they demanded “bribe/illegal gratification from Aneesh.
According to the CBI officials, the bribe amount was listed in the yearly dairy of KK Builders. Later, the CBI had raided the residence of the accused persons in Kochi. In the raid, the CBI recovered Rs 90,000 from the residential premises of the accused persons, including the Rs 50,000 seized from A K Pratap.