Four, including two govt. officials, held for graft in purchase of scientific equipment
The CBI said the accused officials were involved in corrupt activities of obtaining undue advantage from different private parties in lieu of extending undue favours in the award of contracts
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested a principal scientist and a controller of stores and purchase of CSIR-North East Institute of Science and Technology (NEIST) in Assam’s Jorhat and two others for their involvement in corruption in the procurement of spectrophotometer and its software.
The agency has arrested principal scientist Prasenjit Manna, controller of stores & purchase Praveer Mohan Verma, Kangkan Kashyap, director of Delhi-based KXK Technologies Private Limited, and his brother Angkan Borpujari, a resident of Jorhat. The allegations pertain to the award of a contract and passing of a bill for supply of the equipment.
The role of other public servants is also being examined. Abhay Sakhare, CSIR-NEIST finance and accounts officer, Rama Shankar Sharma, posted as controller of finance and accounts at the institute, and Jatin Kalita, senior principal scientist, Centre for Infectious Disease in CSIR-NEIST, are under the lens.
According to the CBI, the accused public servants were involved in corrupt and illegal activities of obtaining undue advantage from different private parties in lieu of extending undue favours in the matter of purchase and award of contracts.
The former controller of finance and accounts had contacted CSIR headquarters and pursued a matter related to the allocation of about ₹7 crore for the expenditure incurred by NEIST towards purchase of the equipment to be supplied by the company in question.
“Thereafter, the accused controller of stores & purchase (bribe receiver) and accused finance and accounts officer allegedly discussed among themselves their share of bribe as ₹7 lakh and ₹2 lakh,” said the agency, adding that the accused senior principal scientist had allegedly expressed willingness to facilitate the company in all future work orders of CSIR-NEIST in exchange for a bribe.
The company director then informed his brother that he would send ₹9 lakh in the bank account of a consultancy firm and instructed him to withdraw ₹8 lakh in cash, deliver a bribe of ₹7 lakh to the controller of stores & purchase, and keep the rest with himself, the agency said. Following a tip-off, the CBI laid a trap and arrested the two public servants while they were receiving ₹7 lakh on Friday. The director was arrested in Guwahati on Saturday.
“Searches were carried out on the premises of the accused persons at 18 different places in Assam, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi,” said an official.
Read Comments
- Copy link
- Telegram
READ LATER
Remove
SEE ALL
PRINT
Related Topics
arrest
/
investigation