Graft case: CBI arrests three BSNL officials in Faridabad

Accused, including principal GM, were accepting bribe of ₹45,000

The sleuths of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday arrested three senior officials of BSNL, including its principal general manager (GM), for allegedly accepting bribe of ₹45,000.

Soon after their arrests, a search operation was conducted at their houses, where cash and documents related to other properties were also recovered.

The accused have been identified as principal GM Adesh Gupta, assistant GM Kamal Mewani and JTO (PRO) Shiv Shankar Verma.

A case under Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against them.

A written complaint regarding this was filed on April 17, 2018 by one Ashok Tomar, proprietor M/s Creative Computer Service, Meerut. The complainant had stated that he was awarded work related to provision of new broadband connections/maintenance of broadband services by the office of principal general manager, BSNL, Faridabad.

He alleged that he had submitted 32 bills totalling ₹7,99,877 against the mentioned work carried out between November 2017 and January 2018, but Gupta, through Mewani, demanded a bribe of ₹51,000 for passing these bills.

However, the bribe amount was negotiated and reduced to ₹45,000 on the request of the complainant. “On April 19, 2018, CBI laid a trap at the office of main telephone exchange in Faridabad’s Sector 15A and caught the three officials accepting the bribe of ₹45,000,” CBI chief spokesperson Abishekh Dayal said.

“Raids have been conducted at their residential and official premises during which, cash amounting to ₹42 lakh, documents pertaining to different properties at Jaipur, Noida, Ghaziabad, Delhi, Gurgaon and Gwalior, besides documents related to several bank accounts were recovered from the Gupta’s house,” he added.

“The accused have been arrested and will be produced at the competent court in Panchkula on Friday,” he said and added that investigation in the case was in progress.

₹42 LAKH, DOCUMENTS PERTAINING TO PROPERTIES AT JAIPUR, NOIDA, GHAZIABAD, DELHI, GURGAON AND GWALIOR WERE ALSO RECOVERED FROM THE GM HOUSE