CBI arrests Oil India official for Rs 7 lakh bribe, seizes Rs 30 lakh

New Delhi, May 5 (IANS) The CBI has arrested two accused, including Deputy General Manager of Oil India Ltd (OIL), Duliajan, Assam and DGM (Sales and Marketing) of private company based in UP’s Noida, for demanding and accepting bribe of Rs 7 lakh to manipulate award of contract work.

Searches were conducted at residential and official premises of the accused at various places in Delhi, Noida, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia, which led to the recovery of gold jewellery (obtained as bribe), over Rs 30 lakh cash (from private persons), mobile devices and several incriminating documents, the CBI said.

The federal agency said that the OIL official, Prayas Chakravorty, used the Rs 7 lakh bribe money to purchase gold worth Rs 3.73 lakh.

“Initially, Chakravorty had demanded 70 grams of gold ornaments for himself as well as for some other unknown public servant,” the CBI said.

A case was registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation on May 3 against four accused, including Chakravorty and Kunal Gupta, Managing Director, United Drilling Tools, and Jyoti Kumar Singh, DGM (Sales and Marketing) of the Noida-based United Drilling Tools. The private company and unknown public and private persons have also been mentioned in the FIR as co-accused.

The FIR said that the OIL official had been indulging in corrupt and illegal activities of obtaining undue advantage/bribe in lieu of facilitating the issuance of award of work and clearance of bills of the said private contractors/suppliers, thereby making huge wrongful gains to themselves and corresponding wrongful loss to the Union Exchequer.

While Chakravorty and Jyoti Kumar Singh were holding talks on the bribe, the latter informed the accused public servant that due to some reasons, his company wouldn’t be able to purchase gold to give it to him.

Jyoti Kumar Singh later offered to deliver Rs 7 lakh instead of delivering the bribe in gold, the CBI said.

After receiving Rs 7 lakh bribe, Chakravorty used the money to purchase gold coins worth Rs 3,73,550 from a shop in Noida and carried home the remaining cash.

The CBI laid a trap immediately thereafter and caught Chakravorty with Rs 3.34 lakh cash (approx.) and documents related to the purchase of gold.

Later, Chakravorty and Jyoti Kumar Singh were presented before the Special CBI Judge in Ghaziabad, said a CBI statement.

--IANS

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