CBI detains MHA official after raid
THE UNDER SECRETARY WAS POSTED IN THE FCRA DIVISION OF THE HOME MINISTRY AND WAS QUESTIONED BY A CBI TEAM IN FCRA BRIBERY CASE
NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) detained an undersecretary-rank officer of the ministry of home affairs (MHA) in the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) in a bribery case after he was questioned on Friday.
According to people familiar with the development, the undersecretary was posted in the FCRA division of the home ministry. He was questioned by a team of CBI in the FCRA bribery case on Friday evening
“His name surfaced during questioning of six arrested staff members of MHA posted in FCRA division in a bribery case. His role is under the scanner,” one of the people said.
On May 10, the central agency raided 40 locations in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu,
Assam and Manipur after receiving a communication from Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla.
The home secretary reported suspicion of at least three FCRA clearance networks that were purportedly operating in connivance with government servants.
Following raids, 14 people, including six government servants, were arrested and ₹3.21 crore in cash was retrieved.
CBI has named representatives of at least 12 non-government organisations (NGOS) and institutions over the alleged case of bribe-for-approval. The case also names six officials of FCRA division of the ministry of home affairs, one National Informatics Centre (NIC) official, two hawala operators, and several middlemen.
The government staffers were identified as current FCRA division personnel Tushar Kanti Roy, Raj Kumar and Saheed Khan and former officials in the division, Parmod Kumar Bhasin, Alok Ranjan and Ghazanfar Ali. An NIC official – Uma Shankar, who allegedly assisted the accused persons, is also named in the CBI first information report (FIR) but was yet to be arrested, the agency said.
In all, the agency has named 36 individuals and entities along with “unknown persons” for being part of what it said was a well-oiled network to provide FCRA clearances illegally.