Cash for ticket: 'Allegations against me are vague,' claims AAP MLA

On Wednesday, the ACB arrested three persons including Om Singh, his associates Shiv Shankar Pandey alias Vishal Pandey, and Prince Raghuvanshi for allegedly selling MCD tickets for Kamla Nagar Ward (No 69) for Rs 90 lakh.

New Delhi:Akhilesh Pati Tripathi, the AAP MLA from Model Town on Thursday denied the allegations in connection with the cash for ticket row, citing them as 'vague'. He was speaking with the reporters at the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) Delhi office after being summoned as accused in the matter. He also said that he is not related to the arrested Om Singh in the case. The ACB team led by senior officials will interrogate Tripathi based on testimonies and digital evidence collected during the probe.

On Wednesday, the ACB arrested three persons including Om Singh, his associates Shiv Shankar Pandey alias Vishal Pandey, and Prince Raghuvanshi for allegedly selling MCD tickets for Kamla Nagar Ward (No 69) for Rs 90 lakh. Shiv Shankar Pandey is associated with Tripathi as his personal assistant, while Om Singh is reportedly related to him though Tripathi has called the reports false.

"The accused were arrested for accepting a bribe for giving AAP's ticket for the MCD election to Shobha Khari, wife of Gopal Khari, for Ward No. 69, Kamla Nagar," said Madhur Verma, DCP, ACB. They were placed under arrest under section 7/13 of the POC Act and 171 (E) of IPC.

On November 14, Gopal Khari, a resident of Kamla Nagar, Delhi approached Anti-Corruption Branch with the grievance that on November 9, he requested Tripathi to secure a Councilor ticket for his wife Shobha Khari. In return, Tripathi demanded a bribe of Rs 90 lakh for the same. Khari further mentioned that he has been associated with Aam Aadmi Party as an active worker since 2014.

Khari then paid the bribe amount of Rs 35 lakh, and Rs 20 lakh to Rajesh Gupta (MLA Wazirpur), at his instance. Khari assured Tripathi that the remaining 35 lakhs will be paid after getting the ticket. However, Khari did not find the name of his wife in the list of contesting Councilors released by the Aam Aadmi Party when the list was released on November 12.

This is when Om Singh came into the picture, who allegedly contacted the complainant and promised him a ticket in the next elections. He also offered to return the bribe amount. Khari also submitted audio and video recordings of his alleged dealings during payment and return of the bribe amount informed an ACB official.

"After receiving the complaint, the ACB formed a team to nab the accused. On the intervening night of November 15 and 16, the ACB team laid a trap at Khari's residence. The accused Singh and his associates Pandey and Raghuvanshi were caught red-handed in the presence of independent witnesses when they came to return the bribe amount of Rs 33 lakh received by them on behalf of Tripathi," the official said. "The bribe amount of Rs 33 lakh has been seized. Further investigation is on," the official said.