Rajasthan: Illegal portions of suspended ASP’s farmhouse removed

Udaipur (Rajasthan) [India], March 3 (ANI): Urban Improvement Trust (UIT) on Friday removed illegal portions of a farmhouse belonging to suspended Additional SP Ajmer Divya Mittal.

“The permission was given for the construction of a farmhouse but a hotel was being run on the land. Additional construction was made without permission,” Nitendra Pal Singh, Secretary UIT told reporters.

“60 per cent of the total construction was found to be illegally made. And on the basis of which the removal action was taken,” Singh added.

ASP Divya Mittal was arrested by the Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on January 16 for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 2 crore.

It was alleged that ASP Mittal demanded a bribe from a suspected drug dealer and even got a broker to threaten him with a case under the Narcotics Drug and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 if he refused to comply.

Acting on the complaint lodged by the alleged drug dealer, the ACB conducted searches at Mittal’s properties in Ajmer, Jaipur, Jhunjhunu and Udaipur in Rajasthan.

Additional SP of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Bajrang Singh Shekhawat, said they registered a case at ACB Headquarters, Jaipur on January 4.

In his complaint, the suspected drug dealer accused the ASP of calling him for questioning and demanding a bribe of Rs 2 crore in lieu of not arresting him in the NDPS Act case. He claimed he was pressured to pay the bribe despite being innocent of the charges.

He further alleged when he refused to pay the bribe amount, the ASP tried to close the deal at Rs 1 crore and forced him to pay up. According to the complaint, after registering the complaint, the ASP called the suspected drug dealer over for talks on January 12.

The deal was closed at Rs 50 lakh, with the amount to be paid in two instalments of Rs 25 lakh each, the complainant said.

ACB sleuths said they laid a trap for the broker, a former police officer, and had the complainant ask him to collect the money on the Ajmer bypass.

However, the broker sensed foul play and did not show up, they added. The ACB then searched the broker’s residence after getting the court’s nod. However, the broker continues to be on the loose, the Bureau added.