Cop Got iPhone 12 Pro As Bribe To Leak Probe Report On Anil Deshmukh: CBI

An iPhone 12 Pro, which costs over ₹ 1 lakh, was offered as bribe to a sub-inspector of the Central Bureau of Investigation for accessing a confidential report on a corruption case in which former Maharashtra minister Anil Deshmukh is an accused, the investigators have said.

The sub-inspector, Abhishek Tiwari, and the former minister’s lawyer, Anand Daga, have been arrested by the CBI for allegedly trying to influence the probe against Mr Deshmukh, who stepped down in April after he was accused of corruption by former Mumbai Police chief Param Bir Singh.

The CBI in its First Information Report (FIR), accessed by NDTV, said, “On 28.6.2021, Abhishek Tiwari had visited Pune in connection with the investigation of case against Anil Deshmukh. It has been learnt that Advocate Anand Daga met Abhishek Tiwari and handed over an iPhone 12 Pro as illegal gratification to him in lieu of passing details regarding the investigation.”

The iPhone 12 Pro has been seized from Mr Tiwari and sent for forensic analysis, CBI sources told NDTV.

The CBI alleged Mr Tiwari had been taking “illegal gratification” from the former minister’s lawyer regularly.

“Sources informed us that Abhishek Tiwari shared copies of different documents like memorandum of proceedings, sealing-unsealing memorandum, statements and seizure memos related to the investigation of the case against Deshmukh with Ananda Daga through WhatsApp on many occasions,” the CBI alleged.

“Abhishek Tiwari, who was entrusted with the possession of sensitive documents as part of the enquiry into the investigation against Anil Deshmukh, in his capacity as a sub-inspector of the branch, has committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said property,” the CBI said.

Kiran, a Superintendent of Police in the CBI, who is also the supervisory officer of the case against Mr Deshmukh, had filed the complaint against the sub-inspector, who allegedly took the expensive phone made by Apple Inc that roughly costs the same as a commuter bike.

Both the sub-inspector and the lawyer were sent to two-day CBI custody on Thursday.

Mr Deshmukh’s son-in-law was also questioned by the CBI on Thursday over the leak of the inquiry report.