CBI suspends Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar after getting 7-day custody in bribery case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar. The agency said Kumar was being suspended “as per due procedure”.

As per due procedure, Devender Kumar (who is facing bribery allegations) is suspended: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Kumar is currently under 7 days CBI custody. pic.twitter.com/hS6fTGUhjL

— ANI (@ANI) October 23, 2018

This comes after a Delhi court remanded him in the agency’s custody for a week in a bribery case. Kumar is the second-in-command to CBI special director Rakesh Asthana, who is the prime accused in the same bribery case. Asthana, too, was divested of his duties at the agency earlier on Tuesday. The CBI had arrested Kumar on Monday on charges of forgery and corruption . The matter relates to an investigation into a case involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi, which was headed by Asthana, while Kumar was its chief investigating officer. Kumar allegedly forged documents while in recording the statement of Satish Sana, another accused in the case. Sana had alleged that he had paid bribes to the officials to get a clean chit in the case, the CBI said. Earlier in the day, Kumar had moved the Delhi High Court, seeking to have his arrest in the matter nullified. The CBI had sought 10-day custody of Kumar, citing some “incriminating documents and evidence” it recovered from raids on Kumar’s home and office on 20 and 21 October. The agency told the high court that Kumar was part of an alleged extortion racket being run in the garb of the investigation in Qureshi’s case.