CBI books middleman for 4 lakh bribe demand from fine art collector-bizman | Mumbai News

Mumbai: The CBI has registered a case against an alleged middleman for demanding a Rs 4 lakh bribe from a fine art collector-businessman who had purchased Raja Ravi Varma prints, oleography and lithostones through an auction conducted by the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT-II) in Mumbai.The CBI said the accused, identified as Vijay Kumar, allegedly sought the bribe on behalf of officials of the DRT and a bank for facilitating clearance of the auction file and release of the purchased artworks. The complainant, proprietor of India Fine Art, successfully won the bid for Raja Ravi Varma prints on April 6, and paid Rs 18.2 lakh towards the bid amount. After completion of the payment process, the businessman was allegedly informed to wait for final clearance of the file and handing over of the auctioned items. Kumar allegedly approached the complainant and demanded a bribe of Rs 4 lakh for facilitating release of the artworks.