Mumbai, Sep 21: The CBI arrested a CGST official from Uttarakhand’s Rishikesh in connection with a Rs 40 lakh bribe case that involved proceedings against a company based in Maharashtra’s Raigad, an official said on Monday.

Additional Commissioner, CGST, Vinay Kumar Kantheti, IRS 2009 batch, has been absconding since September 16, when the Bombay High Court cancelled his bail, along with that of two co-accused, and directed him to surrender before the CBI, the official said.

Instead of complying with the High Court’s order, Kantheti absconded and has now been traced in Rishikesh and taken into custody by the CBI, said the statement.

His colleague and Superintendent, CGST, Raigad, Rakesh Kumar Sinha, and a private person, Narinder Rajput, who worked as a conduit to the college on behalf of the officials, are already in judicial custody, the CBI said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Anti-Corruption Branch, Mumbai, registered a case on August 26 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, based on a complaint alleging that a Superintendent, CGST, Khandeshwar, Raigad, demanded illegal gratification.

It was alleged that an illegal gratification of Rs 1.50 crore, subsequently reduced to Rs 40 lakh, was demanded in connection with proceedings relating to the complainant’s firm, the CBI said

The Central probe agency laid a trap on August 27, during which a private person/Customs House Agent was apprehended while allegedly accepting Rs 40 lakh on behalf of the Superintendent, CGST, Raigad and the Additional Commissioner, CGST, Raigad, it said.

The CBI arrested all three accused and produced them before the learned Special CBI Court, Thane. The CBI sought five days of police custody for custodial interrogation. However, vide order dated August 28, the Special Court rejected the request for custody, held the arrests illegal and released the accused on bail, the statement said.

The CBI challenged the Special Court’s order before the Bombay High Court, which accepted the agency’s plea, quashed and set aside the Special Court’s order, and remanded three accused to two days’ CBI custody.

After examining the record, the High Court found that the grounds of arrest had been communicated to the accused in writing and that the family members and advocates had been duly informed, the statement said.

Pursuant to the High Court order, the accused Superintendent and the accused private person were taken into CBI custody for two days and subsequently sent to 14 days of judicial custody by the Court, the CBI said.

However, the accused Additional Commissioner, Vinay Kumar Kantheti, absconded instead of complying with the High Court order. The CBI said it has now arrested him He Rishikesh.

Ahmedabad/Gir Somnath, Sep 21: A bomb-threat email naming the Somnath Temple and BJP offices in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar triggered a security alert across Gujarat on Monday, prompting searches by police, bomb detection and disposal teams and dog squads, officials said.

The threat mentioned the BJP office in Ahmedabad’s Khanpur area, the party’s state office, Kamalam, at Koba in Gandhinagar, and the Somnath Temple.

Police said no suspicious object was found during searches at the locations.

Ahmedabad C-Division ACP Adwait Gandhi said the State Intelligence Bureau in Gandhinagar received the input around 9 a.m., following which the Khanpur BJP office was thoroughly checked, and additional police deployment was put in place.

“At 9 a.m., we received an input from the State Intelligence Bureau in Gandhinagar. According to that, there was a threat of a bomb blast at the BJP Central Office in Khanpur. We informed the BDTS and had the entire premises checked, and police deployment has also been put in place. The situation is normal,” Gandhi said.

He confirmed that the Somnath Temple and BJP office at Koba had also been named in the threat. “Nothing suspicious has been found. The situation is normal,” he said.

Gandhi said there was no need for panic and added that police are carrying out their duties. “I do not have information about the origin of the email at this stage and action had been taken on the basis of the intelligence input,” he noted.

At the Khanpur office, police, fire brigade personnel and bomb and dog squad teams conducted a detailed search.

City BJP president Prerak Shah said the party was informed that intelligence agencies had received an email threatening to blow up the office.

“Based on that, both the police and bomb squad arrived here. The entire Khanpur BJP office was searched, and nothing objectionable or suspicious was found here,” Shah said.

At Somnath, Deputy SP M.F. Chaudhary said the police received the threat email in the morning and the entire police force was placed on alert on the instructions and guidance of the Superintendent of Police.

He said the temple has dedicated security personnel working round the clock and that devotees normally undergo two-layer frisking and checking.

Electronic gadgets and other prohibited items are not allowed inside the temple premises.

“In view of today’s situation, we put our other district branches, including the LCB, Special Operation Group, BDS and QRT, on alert and had the entire temple premises searched. The BDS searched the temple premises but found no suspicious objects,” he said.

The latest threat comes amid a series of similar email-based bomb scares in Gujarat.

Earlier this month, threats were received by courts, schools and the Gujarat Assembly, while separate threats on September 15 and 17 reportedly named courts, Mahatma Mandir and port facilities.

Searches in those cases also did not result in the recovery of explosives.

Gujarat Police had also recently arrested two men in connection with an alleged interstate network involved in sending hoax bomb-threat emails.

Investigators recovered details of 513,847 Gmail accounts and passwords allegedly linked to the network.

Police are examining whether the latest threat has any connection with that network.

New Delhi, Sep 21: In a coordinated effort to strengthen surveillance and ensure compliance with immigration laws, Delhi Police have launched an intensive combing and verification exercise to identify foreign nationals staying in the North district and verify their immigration status.

As part of the exercise, two teams were constituted on the directions of senior officers to trace foreign nationals overstaying in India and also verify the status of foreigners against whom criminal cases have been registered.

The first team was formed under the supervision of ACP/Burari Shashi Kant Gaur and headed by Inspector Girish Chandra Raturi, SHO, Burari Police Station. The team comprised Head Constables Kamlesh and Ankit and Constable Nishant.

The second team was formed under the supervision of ACP/Operations/North Vishesh Dhatterwal and led by Inspector Rohit Saraswat, I/C Special Staff, and SI Pradeep Katoch, I/C Foreign Cell, in coordination with Head Constable Bal Kishan of Special Staff.

During a systematic search and verification in the area of Burari Police Station on September 7, the team detected three Nigerian nationals, identified as Victory Isimah, Godspower Ikechukwu and Aliou Cisse, who were found staying in Burari’s Baba Colony.

During verification, Victory Isimah produced his passport, but his visa was found to have expired. The other two foreign nationals, Godspower Ikechukwu and Aliou Cisse, failed to produce valid documents establishing their identity or lawful stay in India.

Necessary proceedings were therefore initiated against all three at Burari Police Station. Subsequently, the three foreign nationals were produced before the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), Delhi.

Vide three separate Restriction Orders dated September 7, their movement was restricted to Sewa Sadan, Lampur, Narela, Delhi.

Following the orders, all three were handed over to the Restriction Centre at Sewa Sadan, Lampur, Narela, for further necessary action in accordance with the applicable rules and procedures.

In another operation, a joint team of Special Staff, Foreign Cell and Anti-Narcotics Cell of North District Police conducted a coordinated checking operation during the early hours of September 16 at identified premises in Chandan Vihar, Pragati Enclave and Maurya Enclave in Burari.

The operation was conducted on the basis of specific intelligence regarding the unauthorised stay and overstay of foreign nationals.

Police said the intelligence was developed by the joint team through sustained field verification and identification of locations where foreign nationals were reportedly residing.

During the operation, 10 foreign nationals belonging to Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Uganda and Cameroon were found present at the identified locations. Their identity documents, passports, visas and immigration status were thoroughly checked and verified by the police team.

The verification found four foreign nationals overstaying in India on expired visas, while two others failed to produce valid passport or visa-related documents.

Those identified for necessary immigration action were Ann Favorite Michael, a Ghanaian national whose visa expired on August 13, 2023; Elise Djonba, an Ivorian national whose visa expired on January 5, 2018; Ebuh Happiness, a Nigerian national whose visa expired on August 18, 2026; and Godstime Ikechukwu Chukwuma, a Nigerian national whose visa expired on October 12, 2019.

The other two, Costa Abraham and Raymond Maduka Eze, both Nigerian nationals, failed to produce a valid passport or visa-related documents during the verification process.

After completion of all requisite formalities, including medical examination, the six foreign nationals were produced before the FRRO for necessary immigration action, including deportation proceedings wherever applicable.

Subsequently, as per the orders and proceedings of the competent authority, all six were sent to Restriction Centres at Lampur and Sarai Rohilla for further necessary action.

During detailed verification of the 10 foreign nationals, three were found to be involved in criminal cases presently pending trial before the competent courts.

They were identified as Ndagire Mizzy, daughter of James Mukuye, who is involved in Court Case No. DRI-SC/399/2022; Emmanuel Owusu Nsiah, son of Owusu, who is involved in FIR No. 28/2024 of Police Station Special Cell; and Sunday Chikezie, son of Chikezie, who is involved in FIR No. 11/2022 of Police Station Crime Branch.

Since the cases are pending adjudication before the competent courts, the three foreign nationals were relieved from the present immigration action.

Another foreign national, Samuel Enow Ebot Manyienow, son of Manyienow, was also relieved after verification established that his visa was valid.

Accordingly, necessary immigration action was taken against the remaining foreign nationals in accordance with the applicable rules and prescribed procedures.

North District Police said it remained committed to maintaining vigilant surveillance, strengthening actionable intelligence and ensuring prompt and lawful action against violations of immigration laws.

Further verification and necessary immigration and legal action are being undertaken in close coordination with the concerned authorities, officials said.