Arrested Gujarat IAS officer sent to CBI custody

Several allegations were levelled against IAS officer K Rajesh like demand and receipt of illegal gratification/bribe related to grant of arms licences, allotment of government land and regularisation of encroached government land in the name of ineligible beneficiaries

Ahmedabad:A special CBI court in Ahmedabad on Thursday sent IAS officer K Rajesh, arrested on Wednesday night in connection with a bribery case, to four days custody of the agency. Later, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) produced Rajesh before the court and sought 10 days remand, stating that it has to take him to various places and collect documents and other evidence, as he had worked at three to four locations, from where the corruption complaints were lodged with the State government.

He was arrested 57 days after the complaint was lodged against him. The CBI will produce Rajesh before the CBI court on Monday afternoon. A CBI statement last month said, "After concluding preliminary inquiry on the recommendation of the Gujarat government, a complaint was lodged against Kankipati Rajesh, IAS (2011 batch), the then Collector, Surendranagar district of Gujarat.

There were allegations of demand and receipt of illegal gratification/bribe related to grant of arms licences, allotment of government land and regularisation of encroached government land in the name of ineligible beneficiaries." The statement came after one of Rajesh's associates Md Rafiq Menon, the proprietor of Jeans Corner, Surat, was arrested on June 20 for allegedly being a middleman in the bribery case.

K Rajesh, a native of Andhra Pradesh, is being investigated for land deals, weapons licences and several other cases. Based on complaints in various cases, the CBI team has been investigating for the last three to four months by recording the statements of the complainants at different places. Based on the complaints, their statements were also taken.