Gutkha scam: CBI grills Villupuram SP, ED official

Jayakumar was Deputy Commissioner of Police, Chennai City Crime Branch when the scam allegedly to have happened, while Sheoran was the then assistant director at the Directorate General of Central Excise Intelligence. Sheoran is a recipient of Presidential Award of Appreciation Certificate for specially distinguished record of service, given to the officers of the Customs and Central Excise Department, on Republic Day in 2015.  

According to sources, CBI questioned Jayakumar for nearly seven hours and has asked him to appear again before them on Friday. It was former Chennai City Police Commissioner S George who named Jayakumar at a press conference, a day after CBI raided his house in connection with the illegal gutkha sale scam. 

George alleged that former CCB DC S Jayakumar, who worked under him, had not briefed him about his findings on the illegal trade of gutkha at that time. “Jayakumar betrayed me and failed to bring up the issue to my notice. That’s why I gave him a below average rating during his annual confidential report,” George said. 

The case pertains to the illegal sale of gutkha even after it was banned by the State government, and payment of bribe amounting to Rs 40 crore to the government officials and ministers till 2016, the year Income Tax investigators stumbled up on a ledger that had details of bribes given to different officials. 

CBI in the first week of September 2018 had raided the residence of state DGP TK Rajendran and health minister C Vijaya Bhaskar beside George’s residence. The agency has already arrested 6 persons including three government officials in connection with the scam.