Arrested Gujarat IAS officer sent to CBI custody

Ahmedabad, July 14 (IANS) A special CBI court in Ahmedabad on Thursday sent IAS officer K. Rajesh, arrested on Wednesday night in connection with a bribery case, to four days custody of the agency.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) produced Rajesh before the court and sought 10 days remand, stating that it has to take him to various places and collect documents and other evidence, as he had worked at three to four locations, from where the corruption complaints were filed to the state government.

He was arrested 57 days after the complaint was filed against him.

The CBI will have to produce Rajesh before the CBI court on Monday afternoon.

A CBI statement last month has said: “After concluding preliminary inquiry on recommendation of the Gujarat government, a complaint was filed against Kankipati Rajesh, IAS (2011 batch), the then Collector, Surendranagar district of Gujarat. There were allegations of demand & receipt of illegal gratification/bribe related to grant of arm licences, allotment of government land and regularisation of encroached Government land in the name of ineligible beneficiaries.”

The statement came after one of Rajesh’s associates Md. Rafiq Menon, proprietor of Jeans Corner, Surat, was arrested on June 20 for allegedly being a middleman in the bribery case.

–IANS

haresh/vd