CBI Makes First Arrest in Narada Sting Case, IPS Officer Held

S.M.H. Mirza was taken into custody and produced before a special CBI court after a medical check-up.

The CBI's reputation appears to be in tatters as its strike rate in seeking convictions remains abysmally poor. Representative image. Credit: PTI

Kolkata: The CBI on Thursday made the first arrest in the Narada tapes scandal, as it took senior IPS officer S.M.H. Mirza into custody, an agency official said.

He was produced before a special CBI court here after a medical check-up, the official said.

Mirza was the superintendent of police of Burdwan district when the sting operation was conducted by Mathew Samuels of the Narada News portal.

“Earlier, too, we had questioned him (Mirza) on several occasions. Today, we arrested him following another round of questioning. He is one of the key links in the Narada tapes scandal,” the senior official said.

In the sting operation, the footage of which had surfaced ahead of 2016 West Bengal polls, persons resembling senior Trinamool Congress leaders and the IPS officer are seen accepting money from the representatives of a fictitious company in return for favours.