Former DIG, his CA get five years' jail term in bribery case

A former Deputy Inspector General of Police was on Wednesday sentenced to five years' imprisonment by the special Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court here for taking bribe from a junior officer for protecting him in a departmental inquiry. 

"The special court has convicted A K Jain, the then DIG, and his chartered accountant Prassanna Lodha, and sentenced them to five years's rigorous imprisonment...Court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh," special public prosecutor Kalpana Chavan said. 

On the night of May 21, 2000, there was a raid on a bar at Byculla in central Mumbai, as a part of the crack-down on establishments which remained open till late at night. 

The Police Commissioner had also sought action against police officials of the areas where bars flouted rules. "On May 22, the Commissioner asked a DCP to conduct an inquiry against the officers, including inspector Sanjeev Kokil," Chavan said. 

The DCP recorded Kokil's statement and forwarded a report to Jain. Jain, in turn, wrote his remarks on the report and issued a show-cause notice. 

On May 23, Lodha called and asked to meet Kokil. During the meeting, he sought Rs 5 lakh to protect Kokil during the inquiry. The amount was later brought down to Rs 3 lakh. 

Lodha also called up Jain, and informed that Kokil had agreed to give the money. On May 26 Kokil approached ACB, and on the same day Lodha was trapped while taking the money. 

Next day, Kokil went to Jain's office. Jain also demanded the money. He was arrested later. 

During the trial, prosecutor Chavan examined 20 witnesses. 

But call data records, which revealed that Jain and Lodha were in touch with Kokil, proved to be the most crucial piece of evidence. 

A case of possessing disproportionate assets too is pending against Jain, an IPS officer, and his wife. While Kokil was dismissed in March this year following allegations that he was extorting money from local shopkeepers and residents. 
PTI