Missing records: CBI to probe officer

NEW DELHI: Nearly two months after it was asked to explain about the missing documents pertaining to multi-crore rupees land scam involving ‘chhole-bhature’ vendor Ashok Malhotra, the CBI has informed a special court it has begun examining the role of one of its officials behind it.
The submission was made by CBI DIG S K Palsania to special CBI judge A K Mendiratta nearly two months after the agency's chief had been summoned by the court for an explanation on the missing documents relating to the 2000-02 scam.Palsania told the court that the agency has initiated a probe against the investigating officer for his failure to deposit the original record with the chargesheet in the case.
He said an inquiry for “regular departmental action” for major penalty has been initiated against inspector D K Thakur for his failure to deposit the original documents and statements of witnesses along with the chargesheet and for his failure to handover the case records to his successor.
He contended the agency has been able to trace three documents from among the missing papers as also the statement of a witness. The court, meanwhile, granted another eight weeks to the CBI to trace the remaining records after the CBI DIG sought more time to do so.
“Considering the facts and circumstances and as prayed by the CBI, the prosecution is granted further period of eight weeks to trace the missing documents and place the same on record,” the special judge said.
The fact about the missing documents in the high-profile Molarband and Dheerpur land scam had come to the court's notice on November 28, 2011 when it was told by CBI that the documents and the statements could not be filed in the court as the investigating officer of the case was arrested in a trap case.