Jabalpur: The junior works manager (JWM) of Guns Carriage Factory (GCF) was found dead in a drain Tuesday. He was missing since January 17 after being summoned by the CBI in connection with the alleged supply of Chinese-spare parts for production of indigenised Bofors guns used by the Army.
A blood-stained blade was found near the body of Sarada Charan Khatua. The decomposed body was dumped in the factory area behind Section 2 region of GCF.
Police have sent the body for post-mortem examination. The family of the deceased has suspected a murder, however, the police team believe that Khatua committed suicide. The deceased’s wife Mausami Khatua filed a missing report with Ghamapur police station in Jabalpur January 18.
Earlier in July 2017, the CBI had booked a Delhi-based firm the Gun Carriage Factory for selling fake Chinese spare parts to the ordnance factory, which come under the production department of the Defence Ministry. The CBI had registered a first information report (FIR) of cheating and forgery against unknown officials of the factory, accusing them of conspiring with the Delhi-based firm which was chosen to supply parts for the manufacture of the artillery guns.
“He has been killed by the kingpin of the syndicate. His head has been battered. Some people who were threatening my wife should be suspended. I have tweeted to PMO seeking his intervention,’’ said Manas, Kathua’s brother-in-law, an advocate. He was a very honest employee and had no links with the said issue, he added.
Jabalpur superintendent of police Amit Kumar told reporters that they have sent body for post-mortem. Khatua was last seen at 8.54 am January 17 in footages collected from traffic cams. Four CBI officers visited Khatua’s house January 10 and questioned him in connection with the supply chain. The interrogation lasted for three hours, said GCF sources.
His wife alleges that the CBI team was pressurising him to admit that he was linked with the company in question. They took him to the section where they made him stand for three hours despite knowing that he had a leg injury.
The CBI FIR alleges that the supplier connived with GCF officials to supply duplicate spare parts used in the manufacture of Dhanush guns – which is the indigenised version of the Bofors artillery guns that hogged headlines during 1999 Kargil conflict.
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