CBI Deputy SP Devinder Kumar arrested as part of probe into graft allegations against Rakesh Asthana

CBI said Devinder fabricated Sana's statement as an afterthought plan to corroborate the allegations made by Rakesh Asthana against CBI Director Alok Verma.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday arrested DSP, CBI Devinder Kumar over allegations of falsification of records in an ongoing investigation into a corruption case involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi. The matter relates to the creation of a statement of Sathish Sana, who is a witness in the Moin Qureshi case. 

As per the records, the statement was recorded on 26 September 2018 in Delhi. However, it was found during the investigation that Sana was not present in Delhi and was in Hyderabad on that day. Sana actually joined investigation at Delhi only on October 1. 

The CBI said that Devinder fabricated Sana's statement as an afterthought plan to corroborate the allegations made by Special Director Rakesh Asthana against CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma to the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC). 

The role of other officers of SIT, CBI, then supervising the Moin Qureshi case, are also being probed by the agency. 

The CBI had already called the allegations by Rakesh Asthana, booked by the agency on bribery charges last week, against its Director Alok Verma as "false and malicious".

In his letters to the Cabinet Secretary and Central Vigilance Commission, Asthana had mentioned about 10 cases of alleged corruption and irregularities and levelled serious corruption charges against the CBI Director.

One of these 10 cases pertained to Sathish Sana, who is facing probe in a corruption case involving Moin Qureshi in which Asthana had alleged on August 24 that Sana paid Rs two crore to Verma to get relief in the case. Asthana had also alleged that Verma delayed his team's request to arrest Sana in the case. The complaint was referred to Central Vigilance Commission by the government.

Gujarat-cadre officer Asthana, currently number two in the CBI. He had also cited instances of alleged irregularities and violation of rules and regulations against Verma. In an unprecedented operation, the CBI then filed an FIR against Asthana and his Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar, and two alleged middlemen Somesh Prasad and Manoj Prasad on the basis of a statement from Sana that bribe was paid to the middlemen to get relief in repeated questioning by the Asthana's Special Investigation Unit.