Two Jaipur ED officers booked for extorting Rs 2.25 crore from Mumbai businessman

Two officers of the Enforcement Directorate, ED, have been accused of extorting Rs 2.25 crore from a businessman in Mumbai by threatening him with action and arrest. An FIR has been filed against the two ED officers, posted in Jaipur, identified as Mohit Garg and Devendra Gupta. Mohit Garg holds the post of assistant director while Devendra Gupta is an enforcement officer. The case has been registered at Goregaon's Bangur Nagar police station, and given the seriousness of the matter, the investigation has been handed to the Mumbai Crime Branch.

According to the complaint, Mohit Garg and Devendra Gupta arrived at the Malad office of Amulya Vasa, owner of the Mumbai-based company Wintry Tech, on July 20. It is alleged that without showing any legal documents, the two levelled serious allegations against Vasa and threatened to seal his office and arrest him. According to police, the two officers initially demanded a bribe of Rs 5 crore from Vasa and threatened strict action if the money was not paid. After negotiations, the amount was fixed at Rs 2.25 crore. That evening, Vasa and his partner met the accused officers at a restaurant in Malad, and the very next day Vasa paid the accused Rs 1 crore.

Vasa has made some further serious allegations. He says that after receiving the first installment, the accused told him that senior officials had closed the case. But when Vasa asked for documents of this, he was told that the file's authenticity could only be verified in Delhi. On July 25, two of Vasa's associates met the accused officers at a mall in Delhi, where the accused showed allegedly fake documents claiming the matter had been settled, and then took the remaining Rs 1.25 crore.

It is alleged that even after receiving Rs 2.25 crore, the accused did not stop demanding money. According to the complaint, further money was demanded on the grounds that senior officials were unhappy and needed to be paid more, and a demand was also made for a regular monthly installment. Growing suspicious of these repeated demands, Vasa examined the related documents and made enquiries through his contacts, after which he realised he had been cheated.

According to the Crime Branch, preliminary investigation has established that both Mohit Garg and Devendra Gupta are ED officers, and an FIR has been registered in the case. Both officers are accused of misusing their position and the ED's authority to conspire, threaten the businessman and extort Rs 2.25 crore. The Mumbai Crime Branch is further investigating the case and examining the veracity of the allegations and the complete chain of the alleged money transactions.