Jaipur, Dec 13 (NationPress) The Rajasthan government has chosen not to provide prosecution sanction against Rajasthan Police Service (RPS) officer Divya Mittal, marking a significant blow to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) almost three years post her arrest in a Rs 2 crore bribery case.

Divya Mittal, who was serving as ASP with the Special Operations Group (SOG) in Ajmer, was taken into custody by the ACB on January 16, 2023, under accusations of soliciting a bribe of Rs 2 crore from a pharmaceutical entrepreneur based in Haridwar, intending to eliminate his name from a significant drug trafficking inquiry.

The drug trafficking case started in May 2021, when medicaments valued at Rs 5 crore were confiscated in Jaipur.

A total of 114 cartons containing narcotics were discovered in an Ajmer warehouse, with the overall drug confiscation estimated at Rs 16 crore.

Raids were executed in Delhi, Noida, Kolkata, and various other locations. Mittal was in charge of the investigation. The complaint alleges that the bribe request was communicated through a terminated constable, with a deal purportedly reached for Rs 50 lakh.

An attempt to transfer the first installment of Rs 25 lakh faltered due to the ACB's intervention. The government highlighted several procedural and evidential shortcomings while refusing prosecution approval.

It pointed out that prior consent under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act was not obtained before her arrest. Additionally, there were allegations of audio evidence being tampered with. Although the FSL verified the audio, it could not ascertain the speaker's identity.

Furthermore, Divya Mittal declined to provide a voice sample, resulting in no direct or substantial evidence connecting her to the bribe solicitation.

Due to these deficiencies, the State government determined that prosecution could not proceed.

In the wake of her arrest, searches were conducted at Mittal's residence in Ajmer, a resort in Udaipur, and other sites; she spent over 70 days in Ajmer jail, with photos of her alongside female inmates circulating on social media.

After gaining bail, the ACB initiated a case concerning disproportionate assets against her.

Mittal, in response, accused the ACB of fabricating evidence and acting with ill intent.

Upon reviewing the case documentation and hearing Divya Mittal’s account, the government denied prosecution approval, effectively providing her a clean slate and raising substantial queries regarding the ACB's actions and integrity.