The sting of Cobra

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Although the spot-fixing scandal in IPL 2013 is currently hogging headlines, the sting operation codenamed The Red Spider that exposed discrepancies in the banking system and made money laundering allegations against major private banks claiming they were turning black money into white and engaging in gross violations of Income Tax Act, FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act) in March earlier this year, created a furore.

The operation was headed by none other than the man behind some of the biggest exposés like Operation West End and Operation Duryodhana. Meet journalist, author and founder editor of online magazine, Cobrapost.com, Aniruddha Bahal.
Unafraid and undeterred, he feels there is no need to be afraid of these high-seated power shots whom he exposed in his sting operation. “The evidence is so overwhelming that you cannot be afraid. The ball is now in the court of these banks and the banking regulator — RBI. We have done our bit.”
Born in Allahabad, Bahal worked as a journalist and editor for India Today and Outlook. In 1999, he along with Tarun Tejpal co-founded Tehelka. While at Tehelka, Bahal conceived and carried out the sting operation which caught on camera members of the Indian cricket team accepting bribes to throw matches.
Not willing to open up about his personal life, Aniruddha is a seasoned guy who knows what to say and literally, how much to say. He likes to steer clear of personal queries. Ask him about his work and he says, “Shoot your questions straight and you will get your answers back.”
After The Red Spider, the RBI ordered an inquiry and asked the private banks in question to submit their reports. When prodded further on whether he is satisfied with the response of the RBI, he says, “The response of the RBI has been tardy and it seems to have been protecting these private banks. These three private banks have already released their internal inquiry report to the regulator, but these reports have apparently been with the RBI since April 10. Rather than protecting them, the RBI should take strict action against these banks.”
In an article on sting journalism way back in 2006, he wrote, “The tragedy of the Indian society is that it has ceased to be outraged by the acts of corruption.” He adds that this has to stop and credibility has to be established.
A former employee of Cobrapost, Neeraj Karn Singh recollects, “Aniruddha Bahal always stands for his employees. Whether it is a police case during the undercover operation or any personal threat to the journalist, Bahal is always there to lend support.”
Besides hard-hitting sting operations, he has also authored two books: Bunker 13 and The Emissary. He has hosted a farcical chat show on Channel V called The Tony B Show, where he exposed celebrities, singers, Page 3 people and TV anchors with a straight face and humour.
Questioning the mainstream media, he says, “I am surprised that no big business media houses have exposed the rot in the system. We are just a small non-profit organisation and want the truth to come out. So it does not matter who are the people involved, how big they are or who they are.”