The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested one of its own inspectors for allegedly attempting to extort ₹2 crore from a resident of South Delhi by claiming he could “settle” a case supposedly registered against the man with the agency.
According to officials, the case was registered following a complaint forwarded by the South District Police in New Delhi. The complainant, Shubham Mishra, alleged that a man identified as Deepak Phalswal visited his residence in Bhati Kalan earlier this year and introduced himself as a CBI officer.
In his complaint, Mishra said Phalswal told him that a case had been registered against him with the CBI and demanded ₹2 crore in exchange for making the case “disappear”. When Mishra refused to pay the amount, the accused allegedly took ₹50,000 and later demanded ₹75,000 every month, reportedly pressuring him through FaceTime calls.
Mishra approached the police on March 9 and informed them that a person would soon arrive to collect money on behalf of the accused.
Acting on the information, police detained a law student named Raja, who allegedly admitted he had been sent by Phalswal to collect the payment. Later that night, Phalswal himself reportedly arrived at the complainant’s farmhouse, after which he was taken to the police station for questioning.
Initially, Phalswal claimed he was merely helping a friend recover a loan. However, officials said he changed his statement after investigators confronted him with audio recordings provided by the complainant.
Authorities later confirmed that Phalswal was indeed a serving CBI officer. A pen drive containing recorded conversations has been seized and is currently being examined as part of the investigation.
Other Recent Cases Within the CBI
The arrest adds to a series of recent corruption allegations involving officials within the agency.
In February 2026, the CBI registered a case against its own assistant sub-inspector, Prashanta Kumar Pallei, who was posted in Bhubaneswar. He was accused of running a protection racket in coal mining areas of Odisha and allegedly accepting bribes from a dispatch officer of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited.
Investigators alleged that the dispatch officer, Sarada Prasad Sethy, collected illegal payments from transporters and coal traders in exchange for dispatching extra coal loads or supplying higher-grade coal while misreporting it as lower grade. According to the FIR, Sethy allegedly paid regular “protection money” to the CBI official to avoid scrutiny.
Bribery Case Against CBI DSP
In another case earlier this year, the agency’s anti-corruption branch booked its own Deputy Superintendent of Police, A Bhaskar, for allegedly accepting ₹20 lakh in bribes from a customs official.
The case was linked to an investigation into a customs duty evasion racket in Mumbai, where officials and clearing agents were suspected of allowing goods to be cleared without paying the required duties. Investigators believe Bhaskar misused his position during the probe and accepted illegal payments in return for favourable treatment.
The cases have once again brought attention to corruption allegations involving officials within the CBI, an agency responsible for investigating major criminal and corruption cases across India.
