Bhubaneswar, May 30: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Enforcement Directorate (ED) Deputy Director Chintan Srivastava and a middleman, Bhakti Behera, in connection with a bribery case involving a mining businessman from Odisha.
The arrests took place on Thursday after the CBI laid a trap based on a tip-off from the businessman, who alleged that the accused had demanded a bribe to settle a case linked to illegal mining operations. Srivastava and Behera were caught red-handed while accepting ₹20 lakh as part of a larger ₹1 crore deal, sources said.
The case dates back to January 8, when multiple raids were conducted across the state in connection with alleged mining irregularities. According to CBI officials, the Deputy Director had allegedly used the threat of further ED action to extort money from the businessman.
Following the initial arrest of Behera, investigators conducted an overnight interrogation of both accused, including a face-to-face confrontation. Srivastava was taken into custody after failing to provide satisfactory answers during questioning.
CBI officials confirmed the arrests on Friday and stated that further investigations are underway to uncover the full extent of the alleged corruption.
