UP STF busts gang involved in fraudulent sale of electrical items

KANPUR : Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) on Tuesday arrested four persons involved in buying electrical goods from government stores in different districts at a throwaway cost and selling them to private players in NCR at a premium.

The STF also recovered three transformers, several km long electricity wire of different gauges, insulators, conductors, power oil, electricity pole and 20 other items from two warehouses in Panki that have been sealed, said additional SP, STF, Arvind Chaturvedi.

He said while one person was arrested from Unnao toll plaza the rest were arrested from Panki. “The four men--Brahmdev Chaubey, Rajkumar Shukla, Prem Babu Gupta and Ashok Rajput-- have spoken about the role of store in charges in Auraiya, Etawah, Shahajahanpur, Rae Bareli, Kanpur, Gonda and Balrampur in the crime,” Chaturvedi said.

These officials are responsible for distribution, maintenance and allotment of electrical goods

THREE TRANSFORMERS, SEVERAL KM LONG ELECTRICITY WIRE OF DIFFERENT GAUGES, INSULATORS WERE RECOVERED

to contractors, he said.

He said the accused thrived in the trade for the last many years as there was no checks and balances in the discoms.

“As a result, store in-charges or other officials used to issue transformers and other items on paper and sold them to private players. The steel electricity pole that costs ₹22,000 in the market is supplied to discoms for ₹7,000 apiece. The incharge, according to an accused Chaubey, sold it to him for ₹7400. And he in turn would send the poles and other goods to a contractor in New Delhi who sold them to colonizers for ₹14,000 to ₹15,000,” he said.

Chaturvedi said the STF was now on the pursuit of the contractor.

This is the second time in seven years such a racket has been busted.