Indian
Express: New Delhi: Monday, 25 August 2014.
At least a
thousand audio recordings have been recovered from the mobile phones of motor
parts dealer-turned-‘RTI activist’ Anil Dutt Sharma, who was arrested in June
this year.
Of these, 200
have been identified as conversations between Sharma and MCD officials. The
remaining are yet to be examined. This was mentioned in the 650-page
chargesheet filed by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Delhi government
earlier this week.
Sharma, who
was arrested on June 24, was caught red-handed at a restaurant in Seelampur,
accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from a builder. He would pose as a Junior
Engineer in the MCD and target builders carrying out illegal construction in
East, Northeast and South Delhi. Khushi Ram, a Junior Engineer, was also
arrested last week.
According to
the chargesheet, 40 witnesses have been examined by the ACB. The ACB has
stated that the role of MCD officials was “being probed”.
Following
Sharma’s arrest, at least 75 junior engineers, assistant engineers and senior
officials of the MCD have come under the scanner of the investigating agency.
In the
chargesheet, the ACB stated that apart from the three FIRs registered against
Sharma at the ACB after his arrest, nine more have been registered at police
stations including one at Seelampur, two at Bhajanpura, two at Mansarovar Park
and three at GTB Enclave.
The
investigating agency also stated that Sharma would speak to the builders and
MCD officials using code words. One such conversation mentioned in the
chargesheet shows how Sharma used date and time as codes for seeking bribe. “Ek
baje ko milna (meet me at 1 pm),” is one such conversation mentioned in the
chargesheet.
The ACB said
a conversation stating the words “ek tareek se kaam” refers to Sharma seeking a
bribe of Rs 1 lakh. The chargesheet also mentions that if the builders refused
to pay, he would say, “Agar nahi hua, toh ek tareek se zyada ho jayega”,
indicating he would seek a bigger bribe.