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In a first, a sub-inspector (SI) posted with the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) — the cyber unit of Delhi Police — was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh from a person in exchange for defreezing his bank account.
The trap was laid by the Delhi Police Vigilance unit after it received a complaint alleging that SI Karamveer Singh has sought a bribe, officers said.
“This is the first time an IFSO officer has been caught red-handed while accepting a bribe to settle a matter,” said an officer.
The case came to light after the complainant, Vishnu Bishnoi, along with his legal counsel Vishal Sojitra, approached the Vigilance unit alleging that Singh had demanded Rs 5 lakh to unfreeze his bank account. The account had been frozen as part of a probe into a cryptocurrency-related cyber cheating case, police said.
According to Bishnoi, he had received a notice under Section 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), directing him to join the investigation into the cheating case.
However, while he and his counsel appeared multiple times at the IFSO office and cooperated with the investigation, Singh allegedly continued to demand a bribe of Rs 5 lakh to unfreeze the account, he told the Vigilance unit.
Police said that Singh on Tuesday allegedly called Bishnoi to Dwarka Sector 14 Metro station to collect the first installment of Rs 2 lakh. Upon arrival, Singh asked Bishnoi to sit in his car and began driving, officers said.
A Vigilance team followed the vehicle and managed to intercept it around 2 km away in Dwarka, officers said. “Singh tried to escape but was apprehended by the Vigilance team,” an officer added. The bribe amount of Rs 2 lakh was recovered from the dashboard of Singh’s car, police said.
According to Bishnoi, an application regarding the defreezing of the bank account is currently pending in court.
Police said a case has been registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Singh has been posted with the IFSO since 2019, officers said.
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