Jaipur

Principal Secretary of Mines Department in Rajasthan government Ashok Singhvi was detained tonight while five others, including two officials of the state government, were arrested in an alleged bribery case, according to Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) sources.

ACB also claimed to have recovered Rs 3.88 crore cash while unearthing the alleged bribery case during raids in Udaipur and Bhilwara cities.

“After the recovery of the amount and arrest of five persons in Udaipur and Bhilwara, Singhvi was detained in Jaipur tonight and search operation at his residence is underway,” IG ACB Dinesh MN told PTI.

56-year-old Singhvi is a 1983-batch IAS officer who also holds the post of Chairman of Rajasthan State Mines and Minerals Ltd-Udaipur.

The case relates to bribe alleged paid for re-opening of mines owned by one Sher Khan, which had been closed down some time back, ACB sources said.

During the investigations, ACB arrested Additional Director (Mines) Pankaj Gehlot and Senior Mining Engineer P R Ameta, the sources said.

A Chartered Accountant Shyam Singh Singhvi, alleged middleman of Mines Department Sanjay Seth and one Rasheed Khan were also arrested. Khan was allegedly with Ameta in Bhilwara and ACB claimed to have recovered Rs 1.60 lakh from his car and Rs 75,000 from his pocket.

Of Rs 3.88 crore, Rs 2.55 crore was allegedly recovered from Shyam Singh Singhvi’s office in Udaipur, the sources said.

The amount of Rs 2.55 crore was allegedly sent by a Chittorgarh-based mine owner and was suspectedly bribe meant for Ashok Singhvi and Pankaj Gehlot, the ACB sources claimed.

The cash (Rs 2.55 crore) allegedly was being handed over by the CA to alleged middleman of Mines Department Sanjay Seth when the ACB conducted raid in Udaipur, the sources said.

Sanjay Seth’s house in Udaipur was also searched and ACB claimed to have recovered Rs 1.25 crore from there.

The mines owner Sher Khan has not been arrested so far.

PTI