Star con-man

Debate rages in Parliament and in the Team Anna camp on the anti-corruption ombudsman and the need for autonomy or otherwise for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Meanwhile, a con-man called Ashwini Kumar has managed to build a career out of extorting money from wealthy, dishonest businessmen posing as a senior CBI officer. Kumar has been arrested by the CBI three times before for blackmail and extortion. Each time, he reverted to his old ways as soon as he was released. Last week, he was arrested for a fourth time — but this time he was put in police custody for seven days.