Tripura: CBI officer probing Nirav Modi case recalled back to home cadre

 | 

May 25, 2018

Three Tripura cadre IPS officers attached to the CBI, including joint director Rajiv Singh who was probing Nirav Modi fraud case, have been "prematurely repatriated" to their parent cadre on the request of the BJP-led government in the state, an online news portal ThePrint reported.

Rajiv Singh was heading the bank securities and fraud cell of the CBI. The other two officers are DIG Anish Prasad and SP R. Gopal Krishna Rao.

According to sources, Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb reportedly wrote to the Centre saying that the officers are needed back in the state to "strengthen the law and order situation", following which an order was passed by the ministry of personnel, public grievances and training.

A list of officers on central deputation was made and then names were finalised, the sources added.

Another officer, Nina Singh who was heading the special crime zone, will be sent to her parent cadre in Rajasthan. Her unit cracked several cases, including the murder of a student in a Gurugram school and the Kotkhai gang rape and murder in Himachal Pradesh.

"Consequent upon the request of the respective state governments for premature repatriation of these officers, the competent authority has approved the repatriation/ curtailment of tenure of these officers working in the CBI," the order dated 24 May said.

Rajiv Singh was also looking into the preliminary inquiry initiated into the ICICI bank-Videocon loan case.

Nina Singh was also the supervisory officer of the high-profile Sheena Bora murder case.

A CBI officer said the transfers will not affect the ongoing probes. "The decision was made after the state government sent a request asking for their transfer back to their parent cadre for the state's benefit," the officer said.

The CBI said that the officers were just "supervising" the ongoing investigation into these sensitive cases.