CBI row: Devender Kumar, middlemen sent to 14-day custody in bribery case

A Delhi court Tuesday remanded CBI DSP Devender Kumar and middleman Manoj Prasad, arrested in connection with bribery allegations involving the agency's Special Director Rakesh Asthana, to 14-day judicial custody.

A special CBI court sent them to jail after the agency said both the accused were not required for further custodial interrogation.

Both the accused were produced before special CBI Judge Santosh Snehi Mann who will hear the bail application of Kumar on Wednesday.

During the hearing, Kumar, who was produced after the expiry of his seven-day custodial interrogation, told the court the agency was tampering with and fabricating evidence in the case against him.

He submitted that a case of theft and extortion should be lodged against CBI officials probing the case.

The court asked CBI to file its reply to Kumar's application which will be heard Wednesday.

In his bail application, moved by advocate Rahul Tyagi, Kumar termed his custody "illegal" and urged the court to set him free.

Two alleged middlemen -- Manoj Prasad and Somesh Prasad -- have also been named as accused in the case.

The FIR in the current case was lodged on the basis of a written complaint from businessman Satish Sana on October 15. It was alleged that Kumar, being the IO in the case against meat exporter Moin Qureshi, was repeatedly calling the complainant to the CBI office to harass him and compel him to pay a bribe of Rs 50 million for getting a clean chit in the case.

The complaint had also said that a part of the bribe was paid by Sana.