Probe ordered against three Tihar jail officials for receiving money from Sukesh Chandrashekhar

A probe has been ordered against three Tihar jail officials for allegedly receiving money from conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar who is facing several cases including the Rs 200-crore money laundering matter.

"We received information that inmate Sukesh Chandrashekhar had tried to bribe one of the staff of jail no. 4, where he was lodged. He allegedly deposited an amount of Rs 1.25 lakh into the accounts of one of the officials," said Sandeep Goel, DG, Prisons.

"We are getting an enquiry conducted and have transferred the three officials. Sukesh has also been shifted to another jail," he added.

Earlier in January, two months after Delhi Police arrested seven jail staff members for allegedly helping inmate and conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar in extorting nearly Rs 200 crore from a Fortis Healthcare worker, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) had asked the jail administration to allow it to probe 82 officials and staff of Rohini jail under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The Economic Offenses Wing of Delhi Police had written to Tihar Jail that investigation is needed against the 82 employees of Rohini Jail who helped Sukesh and took crores of rupees in the name of providing him amenities.

This ED case is based on an FIR filed by Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) against Sukesh Chandrasekhar who is accused of cheating and extorting Aditi Singh, wife of the former promoter of Religare Enterprises Shivinder Mohan Singh, who was arrested in October 2019 in a case related to alleged misappropriation of funds at Religare Finvest Ltd.

Chandrasekhar and his associates reportedly took money from Aditi after posing as government officials and promising to get bail for her husband. Chandrasekhar reportedly persuaded Aditi to transfer money by impersonating a central government official over a spoof call while he was lodged in Rohini jail and promised to manage bail for her husband.

Both Chandrasekhar and his actor wife Leena Maria Paul were arrested by the Delhi Police in September for their alleged role in the duping case.

The Delhi Police has so far arrested 13 people in connection with the case. The ED suspects that Chandrasekhar had extorted money from several people while he was in jail.

At the time of the incident, Chandrashekhar was lodged in Delhi's Rohini jail and was running an extortion racket from behind the bars.

In September, the ED had arrested two aides of jailed conman against whom the Delhi Police recently invoked stringent provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA). Chandrasekhar was allegedly running the cheating and extortion racket in connivance with jail officials and some associates outside.

( With inputs from ANI )