The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has sought permission from Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena to probe allegations against former Jail Minister Satyendar Jain for extorting high profile prisoners such as conman Sukesh Chandrashekar, in lieu of giving them protection in the lock-up.

“A high level corruption and extortion racket” was flourishing in the Delhi jails in connivance with the then DG Prison Sandeep Goel and then Additional Inspector General of Prisons Mukesh Prasad along with associate officers, private persons and accomplices,” the CBI charged in its letter seeking permission to launch the investigation. According to the agency, “they worked as a syndicate for the same”. Raj Kumar, the then Jail Superintendent of Central Jail-4, Tihar, was a close associate of Goel and assisted former DG Prison in extorting money from the conman.

Jain, however, is behind the bars in a money laundering case.

Last November conman Chandrashekhar, who was in a Delhi jail on charges of fleecing money from others, had lodged a complaint to the LG Saxena alleging that he had paid ₹10 crore to Jain in installments for his safety in Delhi prisons. The CBI told Saxena that it has “source information” that the former Delhi Jail Minister Jain “extorted and received ₹10 crore from jail inmate Chandrashekar in various tranches during 2018-21 either by himself or through his accomplices, as protection money,” to allow the conman lead comfortable life in jail.

“Goel and Mukesh Prasad also extorted and received ₹12.50 crore from jail inmate Sukesh Chandrashekar. The amounts were extorted and received by them in various tranches during 2019-22 as protection money ,” the agency alleged.

The CBI also accused former Director General Prison Goel, a 1989 batch IPS officer, suspended by the government last December, and his junior Additional IG Prasad of extorting “other high profile prisoners lodged in jail as protection money”. The extortion was also carried out by Goel and Prasad from “other high profile prisoners lodged in jail as protection money” to allow them live in jall safely and comfortably, the agency alleged.

Raj Kumar, the then Jail Superintendent, Central Jail-4, Tihar was a close associate of Goel and aided him in extorting money from Chandrashekar, the CBI charged.

Jain, Goel, Prasad and Kumar “misused their official positions” as public servants and “extended undue favour and advantage” to Chandrashekar and other high profile inmates in the jails of Delhi “in lieu of valuable considerations from the inmates”, the CBI alleged.

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