CP flowerseller helps nab 17 officials in sting op

October 7, 2008: The Times of India

New Delhi: A Connaught Place flowerseller became an unusual whistleblower, helping the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Delhi government nab 17 corrupt officials in a fascinating month-long sting operation.
  
Shiv Kumar Tiwari, who sells flowers from a small 100 sq metre shop located on Baba Kharak Singh Marg, was fed up of shelling out about Rs 25,000 as bribe every month to cops, labour department officials and NDMC authorities to also sell snacks illegally from his stall. He then decided to turn whistleblower.
  
In his complaint to ACB, Tiwari revealed that such collections were being made from all shopkeepers either directly or through agents. The amount varied from anything between Rs 500 to Rs 30,000 per month from each shop. On his complaint, a mega sting operation conducted by the ACB revealed that the bustling Connaught Place is allegedly a hub of corruption involving officials from NDMC, Delhi Police and Delhi government’s labour department.
  
Of the 17 accused, as many as 13 officials belong to these three departments. The ACB has not just registered a case of corruption against them but has invoked sections of the IPC on extortion and conspiracy.
  
Two officials, inspector (health-food) D Rana and head constable Pratap Yadav, are yet to be arrested. Besides them a storekeeper identified as Lalit, a beldar by the name of Prem and two paanwallas identified as Chandeshwar Prasad Yadav and his brother Shakal Prasad Yadav — both allegedly acting as agents — have also been arrested.
  
Giving out the details of the operation, joint commissioner of police (ACB) N Dilip Kumar said that Tiwari had approached them with the complaint. ‘‘He complained that he was being harassed for not paying protection money. His goods were confiscated if he failed to meet the demand of the officials concerned. Unable to afford the demands for bribe, Tiwari decided to register a complaint against the officials,’’ Kumar revealed.
  
Talking to TOI, Tiwari said that he has been running the flower shop on a legal licence from NDMC for the last two years. Six months back he decided to sell snacks from the same shop. This was illegal.
  
When he started selling snacks from the shop along with flowers officials from the NDMC, police and labour department allegedly started threatening him to pay up a bribe. ‘‘I had already applied for a licence to sell snacks as well. But to prevent the officials from harassing me, I gave in to their demands. I earn about Rs 50,000 a month out of which as much as Rs 25,000 was given away as bribes. But even then I was harassed,’’ Tiwari added.
  
Elaborating on the sting operation, Kumar said: ‘‘The evidence has been captured secretly on video and audio tapes. The linkage between officials and the role of paanwallas who were acting as their agents to collect money has been established. The recorded conversations indicate not just corruption but extortion on the part of the officials.’’

THE NEXUS

Inspector (Enforcement, NDMC) Virender Kaushik: Demanded Rs 10,000 for allowing Shiv Kumar Tiwari to run his business. His monthly protection money was Rs 1,000. When the bribe wasn’t paid, goods were lifted

D S Rana, Market Inspector (Health & Food) (yet to be arrested): His monthly protection money was Rs 4,000. If he is not paid, goods were confiscated. Collections were made by one Lalit, who is a storekeeper. He has been arrested

Inspector (Sanitation, NDMC) Kantha Prasad Balodi: If monthly bribe was not paid, false challans issued for not keeping premises clean

P S Meena & Naresh Sharma, Inspectors (Health, NDMC): They confiscated goods if bribes didn’t reach them

Assistant Commissioner (Labour) Mahesh Kumar, Inspector (Labour) Shiv Dayal, Inspector (Labour) Sidhu Gopal: Monthly protection money collected by the three in the name of enforcement of labour laws

Junior Engineer (Water, NDMC) Bhupinder Singh, beldar Prem: Bribes paid to them for water supply

Market Inspector (Enforcement, NDMC) Ashwani Kumar: Monthly bribes are collected by him with his subordinate Inspector Kaushik

Constable Kishore and Constable Bhagirath: They collected monthly protection money and allegedly shared their booty with seniors

Head constable Pratap Yadav (yet to be arrested): Collected monthly protection money for himself and allegedly for his seniors

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Daily/skins/TOI/navigator.asp?Daily=CAP&login=default