Corruption
CBI Officer Arrested in Rs 2.5 Crore Bribery Case Suffers Cardiac Arrest
Chandigarh: CBI Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Balbir Sharma was arrested on Monday evening in connection with a Rs 2.5 crore bribery case related to a scholarship scam. The arrest followed day-long questioning at the CBI office in Sector 30, Chandigarh.
Sharma was summoned after Enforcement Directorate (ED) Assistant Director Vishaldeep, arrested earlier in the case, implicated him during interrogation. According to sources, Vishaldeep alleged that Sharma had instigated him to accept bribes while investigating the scholarship scam in Shimla, Mohali, and Chandigarh in October 2024. Vishaldeep further accused Sharma of demanding a 10% commission on the bribe amount and claimed he recorded their conversations as evidence. Vishaldeep reportedly informed the directors of both the CBI and ED about the alleged misconduct. Scholarship scam accused Rajneesh Bansal was said to have been present at some of these meetings.
Registrations Open for FutureCrime Summit 2025: India’s Largest Conference on Technology-Driven Crime
After his arrest, DSP Sharma was admitted to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Chandigarh. His family alleged that he was tortured during questioning, citing his history of heart surgery and a kidney transplant. CBI is now scrutinizing the evidence, including the recordings provided by Vishaldeep, and investigating Sharma’s role in the scam. The scholarship scam, which involved fraudulent diversion of government funds meant for students, has already led to multiple arrests.
This high-profile bribery case has raised questions about internal accountability in anti-corruption agencies and has cast a shadow on ongoing investigations into the scholarship scam. Further developments are awaited as CBI continues its probe.
