Court extends middleman's PC by 5-day in bribery case

The CBI custody of a man claiming to be an official of the Prime Minister's Office was today extended by five days in a bribery case, which also involves a top official of the Chhattisgarh Government.
A special court extended the custody of Syed Burhanuddin after the CBI submitted that he was required to be confronted with B L Agrawal, the Principal Secretary of Chhattisgarh Government who has since been suspended, and other accused arrested in the case.
Special CBI judge Virender Kumar Goyal allowed the CBI plea seeking extension of his custody after the accused was produced before him on expiry of his five-day police custody.

"More public persons are expected to be apprehended in the case. The probe is at very initial stage and we have to reach a deep rooted conspiracy," the CBI told the court.
Burhanuddin aka OP Singh aka OP Sharma had allegedly demanded Rs 1.5 crore as illegal gratification from Agrawal, who is also in police custody in the same case along with others, for "settling" a case pending against the 1988 batch IAS officer, the CBI has alleged.
According to CBI, the officer is facing investigation in two cases registered in 2010, when he was Health Secretary in the Chhattisgarh government. He has been charge sheeted in one while the probe is going on in the other case.

The agency has alleged that the officer had approached Bhagwan Singh, a resident of Noida, who took him to Burhanuddin to get a graft case "settled".

Both the officer and Singh are currently in the police custody in the same case, along with the officer's relative, Anand Agarwal.
Burhanuddin had claimed he was working in the PMO and would help him settle the case in his favour and demanded Rs 1.5 crore as illegal gratification for his services, the CBI FIR alleged.
At a meeting held between the trio on February 11, Agrawal agreed to pay the amount to get relief in the cases against him, it alleged, adding that Agrawal sent Rs 60 lakh in four installments to Bhagwan Singh using hawala channel.

As he expressed inability to arrange cash for the remaining payment, Burhanuddin and Singh agreed to accept two kgs of gold as illegal gratification, the FIR alleged.
The agency has registered a case of criminal conspiracy and under Prevention of Corruption Act against the accused persons.