Overview
- CBI caught superintendents Anil Tiwari and Ajay Kumar Sharma red-handed while allegedly taking Rs 70 lakh as the first instalment of a Rs 1.5 crore demand.
- Deputy commissioner Prabha Bhandari was arrested in Delhi after the monitored call and was later produced in court before being brought to Lucknow.
- Searches at multiple locations recovered roughly Rs 1.6 crore in cash, gold and silver items, jewellery, bullion and several property documents.
- The case has been registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act, with the Anti-Corruption unit in Lucknow continuing raids and asset tracing to identify other beneficiaries.
- Businessman Raju (Rajendra) Mangtani of Jai Durga Hardware and advocate Naresh Kumar Gupta were also held following an earlier CGST raid on the firm that preceded the alleged demand.