Gujarat official falls to death from fourth floor after arrest by CBI in bribery case

AHMEDABAD: Jawri Mal Bishnoi, 44, a senior official with the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), died on Saturday when he allegedly jumped from his office on the fourth floor here after being arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a bribery case. He suffered severe injuries and was taken to a Rajkot civil hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Sudhir Desai said, “The CBI arrested Bishnoi, a joint director in the DGFT, on Friday for allegedly receiving a Rs 5 lakh bribe. The CBI conducted a search operation at his office throughout the night and was ready to end it in the morning when at around 9.45 am, the accused suddenly went towards the window and flung himself out of it."

Desai said an accidental death complaint was filed with the Pradyuman Nagar police station in Rajkot and further investigations are underway. He said, "The version of the CBI officers would be considered in this case. A group of people demonstrated at the civil hospital (blaming the CBI for Bishnoi's death). The police officers present at the hospital protected the CBI officers and brought them to the police station for questioning."

He allegedly demanded Rs 9 lakh from a businessman seeking a no-objection certificate (NOC) to export food cans, which would have allowed him to retrieve his Rs 50 lakh bank guarantee. The complainant had submitted six files containing all required documents for the periodic export of food cans to DGFT, Rajkot, according to police.

It was also claimed that the accused demanded Rs 5 lakh as the first installment and asked the complainant to deliver the remaining amount when the NOC was handed over.

The CBI set a trap for the accused and caught him red-handed while accepting Rs 5 lakh from the complainant.

However, the family of the deceased has denied the CBI's allegations and said they want justice in the matter. His brother Sanjay Bishnoi asked the PM to step in and said, "This is a massive conspiracy. He had been beaten for two days. He never accepted bribes and was completely honest."

The DGFT is the government department in charge of carrying out the nation's foreign trade policy.

(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)