Colonel, 3 others held for leaking sensitive info

The CBI on Monday arrested a Colonel of the Army Medical Corps, an MCI clerk and two others for alleged bribery of `10 lakh in connection with the leaking of information related to inspections of medical colleges and recognition of seats by the country’s medical education regulator.

Sources said Col. Ajay Kumar Singh, empanelled as an assessor in the Medical Council of India (MCI), was arrested after an alleged middleman was caught receiving `10 lakh from two hawala operators on his behalf. The agency also arrested Santosh Kumar, a lower division clerk in the MCI, and two middlemen — Sushil Kumar and Sachin Kumar, they added. Sushil Kumar was supposed to carry the bribe money on behalf of the Colonel, sources said.

All the four accused have been sent to five days’ CBI custody by a special court here. The arrests were made after the CBI registered an FIR against the four arrested accused and B. Ramachandhiran, chairman, Sri Venkateshwaraa Medical College and Research Centre, Puducherry. The agency sleuths conducted searches at nine locations in Delhi, Puducherry and Chennai, including the residences of Col. Singh, the medical college and offices of two hawala operators, sources said.

The agency sleuths also recovered `2 crore cash during the searches. The CBI FIR said MCI clerk Santosh Kumar was in contact with Ramachandhiran and shared sensitive information regarding the council.

He was also allegedly helping him with respect to some administrative matter regarding inspections and approvals related to the medical college.