Kolkata: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a serving Army officer and three officials of a Pune-based private company from Kolkata and Pune for their alleged involvement in a bribery deal worth Rs 1.80 lakh. The accused Army officer, Col. Shaibal Kumar, is attached to planning and engineering branch of the force.
He is posted at the Eastern Command headquarters: Fort William in Kolkata. The three other accused are Sharat Nath, managing director, and Vijay Naidu, director of M/s Xtech Equipments Pvt. Ltd, and Amit Roy, the Kolkata-based representative of the private firm. The arrest of the senior Army officer from the city in connection with a corruption case is rare.
Eastern Command spokesperson Wing Commander S.S. Birdi refused to comment on the issue. Sources revealed that Col. Kumar, Mr Naidu and Mr Roy were arrested by the CBI’s anti-corruption branch (ACB) from the city on Saturday evening, while Mr Nath was arrested from Pune on Sunday. On Sunday, Col. Kumar, Mr Naidu and Mr Roy were remanded by the court in the CBI custody till June 22.
The CBI is now interrogating them about their bribery deal. Mr Nath was produced at a court in Pune and is now being brought to Kolkata on a transit remand, sources added. The CBI is likely to take him in its custody also.
The CBI registered a case on June 17 against Col. Kumar and the private firm’s three senior officials under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 7, 12 and 13(2) and 13(1)(d) of Prevention of Corruption Act.
According to a CBI statement, the Colonel had demanded a bribe of Rs 1.80 lakhs from Mr Nath in connection with the supply of Power Pack Rock Splitters which are used by various field formations of the Army. “The Colonel was alleged to have already demanded and accepted a bribe of '50,000 during February in 2017 and as part of the second instalment of the bribe, the Colonel has now accepted '50,000 from the accused company,” it elaborated.
The CBI said it tracked Mr Naidu “who had come from Pune to deliver the bribe to the Colonel and nabbed him after the payment of bribe. The CBI caught the Colonel and recovered the bribe from his residence”.
CBI spokesperson R.K. Gaur said, “Searches have been conducted in four premises at Pune and two premises at Kolkata. Further investigation is continuing.”
