Bhubaneswar: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested four persons, including the general manager (GM) of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) posted in the City here, in connection with a bribery case of Rs 1 lakh, the Central agency sources said, Tuesday.
FCI (Bhubaneswar) GM Prem Singh Bhanot, FCI manager (Accounts) Sanjoy Dey, M/s SP Traders and Suppliers Pvt Ltd proprietor Malina Dey and middleman Syed Hasnain Ahmed have been taken into custody, they said.
According to the CBI, Bhanot aided and favoured M/s SP Traders and Suppliers Pvt Ltd, a Kolkata-based company who had participated in the tender and was declared L-1, in securing a tender pertaining to transportation of rice grain.
“An accused middleman contacted and informed the FCI GM that M/s SP Traders and Suppliers Pvt Ltd proprietor would like to offer him a bribe for having facilitated her in the allotment of work order in tender. The accused GM asked him (middleman) to inform the proprietor to give Rs 5 lakh as bribe in lieu of this favour rendered to her,” said a CBI spokesperson.
The CBI registered a case against five persons— FCI GM, manager, the Kolkata-based company and two middlemen— June 28, 2024 and launched a probe.
“It was alleged that the FCI GM, manager, middlemen and the private company were indulged in corrupt activities causing wrongful gain to themselves and loss to the exchequer by processing the tender for rice grain transportation,” the CBI said.
The Central investigating agency carried out a trap operation in which Bhanot, Ahmed and Malina Dey were arrested while exchange of Rs 1 lakh bribe was taking place, they said, adding that Sanjoy Dey was arrested later.
“All the arrested accused persons were produced before the Competent Court at Bhubaneswar and have been remanded to police custody till July 6, 2024,” the spokesperson said.
The CBI seized Rs 5 lakh cash, locker keys, mobile phones, laptops and incriminating documents during searches in Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bhubaneswar, the spokesperson said.
PNN & Agencies
