BHUBANESWAR: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a native of Odisha and his associate for allegedly orchestrating an impersonation and bribery racket by posing as government officials and gaining undue favours in exchange of illegal gratification.
The accused, Ajit Kumar Patra, and his associate Minku Lal Jain were apprehended on Monday. The fraud came to light after the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI), Jaipur, recently raided the premises of M/s Cybdeer Network private limited of CEO, Vinod Parihar.
CBI officials said Parihar, in a bid to evade arrest, had given `18 lakh bribe to the accused to settle a matter with DGGI officials in Jaipur. The central agency nabbed the duo while they were allegedly accepting the bribe money from an individual sent by Parihar.
Issuing a statement in this connection, the CBI said Patra and Jain impersonated as senior officials of various government departments, ministries, enforcement agencies and judicial establishments, and gained undue favours in exchange for illegal gratification.
“Investigation revealed Patra and Jain intimidated their targets by claiming they had good relations with senior government officials. They even enjoyed unwarranted VIP protocols/privileges, stayed in official houses, accessed high security zones at public events and religious gatherings by impersonating as enforcement officers of central agencies,” it added.
The agency has seized Rs 3.7 crore cash, gold jewellery weighing around 1 kg, 26 property-related documents, four luxury cars and 12 other vehicles from the accused during searches at various locations in New Delhi, Rajasthan and Odisha.