2 MES officials, pvt contractor booked

CHANDIGARH: The Chandigarh team of the Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested two MES officials and a private contractor for corruption in tendering for a furniture contract. The MES is the development agency for defence infrastructure, under the Union ministry of defence.

Those arrested were Mukesh Prasad, commander works engineer at the MES in Patiala ; a junior engineer with the MES Sandeep Chhikara in Patiala and Ambala-based contractor Sanjeev Jindal. They had been held on October 5, presented before court on October 6 and were again presented it on Sunday, after a one-day remand. Sanjeev’s brother, Vikas Jindal, has also been booked. Suspecting criminal conspiracy, undue advantage and inducement, the CBI had registered an FIR against the four under sections 7, 7A and 8 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The Jindal brothers regularly participate in tenders of MES through their firms M/S Jindal Industries Corporation and M/S Bhimeshwari Trading Company. The CBI had a tip-off that for an August tender of MES, Patiala, for furniture supply in Sangrur, Prasad had conspired with Vikas and advised him to submit three quotes with three different identities and all lower than ₹19 lakh. On August 9, according to the CBI, Prasad told Vikas that the contract would be awarded to him.

The agency sources added that on August 18, Prasad demanded ₹2 lakh for himself and others including the JE Chhikara in lieu of the illegal gratification. The money was to be delivered to Chhikara by Sanjeev in lieu of confirmation of allotment of tender. Having this information, the CBI raided Sanjeev’s residence at Rani Bagh, Ambala Cantonment, on October 5 and arrested him and Chhikara with the bribe of ₹40,000. The agency is also likely to probe allotment of other past tenders, a source added.