Overview
- The CBI arrested Assistant DGFT Hemlata Hedau in Panipat after a trap that caught her allegedly accepting Rs 30,000 from a complainant on Wednesday, August 19.
- The agency registered the case the same day and will produce the accused before the designated CBI court in Panchkula while searches continue at her residence and office.
- The allegation says the bribe was demanded to clear deficiencies and process an Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) authorisation file, a DGFT clearance needed for certain export‑related imports.
- This arrest follows recent CBI searches in Chandigarh and Ludhiana into alleged misappropriation of government‑linked funds, a probe that recovered storage drives, digital signatures and financial records and that involved an alleged Rs 504 crore banking fraud.
- Investigators say the probe is ongoing and the seized electronic and documentary evidence will be examined, which could expand the scope of the inquiry and affect exporters who rely on timely DGFT clearances.