NEW DELHI: Lieutenant Governor (L-G) VK Saxena has sanctioned an enquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against a former jail superintendent of Tihar prison in connection with a “racket” that allegedly extorted Rs 10 crore from jailed money laundering accused Sukash Chandrashekhar, Raj Niwas officials said on Friday.
The matter is under investigation by the central agency and a request for prosecution sanction was made to the L-G, who is the competent authority in the matter, through Delhi government’s directorate of vigilance (DoV), they said.
“The L-G has sanctioned the CBI Inquiry under the 17A of Prevention of Corruption (POC) Act, 1988, against Raj Kumar, the then Superintendent of Jail No 4, Tihar prison complex,” a statement said.
The CBI had in November last year also sought sanction from L-G Saxena to file a case against former minister Satyendar Jain for allegedly “extorting” crores of rupees from various “high profile prisoners”, including Chandrashekhar, to enable them to live comfortably in prison, they said.
The central agency is probing allegations levelled by Chandrashekhar that Rs 10 crore was extorted from him in installments during 2018-21, for providing his comfortable, peaceful stay in the jail.
“The accused jail superintendent was a close associate of then director general of prisons and aided him in extorting money from Chandrashekhar and even himself tried to extort money from him through digital (PayTM) mode,” claimed the Raj Niwas officials.
The CBI had earlier alleged that “a high level corruption and extortion racket” was being run in the jails of Delhi. It further said that former Director General of Prison Sandeep Goel and then Additional Inspector General of Prisons Mukesh Prasad, besides other offices and accomplices “worked as a syndicate.”
CBI alleged that Goel and Prasad also extorted Rs 12.50 crore from Chandrashekar. Besides, they also took money from other high profile prisoners lodged in jail as protection money.
“The amounts were extorted and received by them in various tranches during 2019-22 either themselves or through their accomplices, as protection money, to enable inmate Chandrashekar to live peacefully and comfortably in jail,” the CBI note to the L-G read.
Jain is currently out of jail on an interim bail granted by the apex court. He was arrested by the ED in a money laundering case in May 2022.