NEW DELHI: CBI today arrested Central Excise Commissioner Anup Kumar Srivastava after a local court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea in connection with his alleged role in a graft case.
Srivastava was arrested by the agency soon after the private hospital, where he had got himself admitted for treatment, discharged him.
According to sources, a team of doctors from AIIMS was supposed to examine him on the court's orders but the hospital discharged him before it could be done.
The agency, meanwhile, also got three-day custody of Excise Superintendent and co-accused in the case Lallan Ojha.
The court earlier today said Srivastava seems to be the "mastermind" of the entire conspiracy.
"This is not the stage to grant anticipatory bail to the present accused (Srivastava) who seems to be the mastermind of the entire conspiracy with other accused," Special CBI Judge Talwant Singh had said today.
The top excise officer had sought anticipatory bail after being named as an accused for allegedly receiving a bribe of Rs 40 lakh from two businessmen.The court dismissed Srivastava's plea saying he, being a powerful person, could influence the witnesses if he is freed on bail at this stage of the investigation.
"If he is granted anticipatory bail, further investigation will be scuttled and there is likelihood of crucial witnesses being influenced by him as he is a very well connected and powerful person," the judge said.
The court said the probe in the case was at its initial stage and Srivastava is to be confronted with other accused and recorded conversations.
CBI had registered an FIR against Srivastava, Ojha, alleged middleman Hemant Gandhi and businessmen Dalip Aggarwal and Anand Aggarwal for their alleged roles in the graft case.
It had said Gandhi was in touch with Srivastava, Ojha and others and was acting as a middleman for them to obtain the bribe from the businessmen.
Ojha and Gandhi are at present in judicial custody.