Money trail to a top beneficiary under investigation
Jammu, Jan 29: The Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) conducted raids at 15 locations including 14 in New Delhi and one in Kishtwar district of Jammu region covering four prominent chemical firms of the Union capital following suspicion that kickback in allotment of Rs 2200 crore civil work for Kiru Hydro Power Project in Kishtwar district in 2019 were reportedly routed through some of these firms.
Besides documents, electronic gadgets and many other items, the CBI has seized around Rs 55 lakh in cash during searches at the residences and offices of Directors and Accountants of major chemical firms in the Union capital.
Four firms which were raided by multiple teams of the CBI Jammu, Chandigarh and Delhi offices include AS Chemical Industry, Raj Chemical Industry, Kanhaiya Enterprises and Raj Solvent.
Fourteen residences and offices of Directors and Accountants of these four firms were searched at Pritam Vihar, Tri Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, Vasant Vihar and Saraswati Vihar in New Delhi.
Sources said Satish Gupta and his wife are Directors of AS Chemical Industry and Raj Chemical Industry, Anil Kumar is Director of Kanhaiya Enterprises while Sourabh Gupta and Munish Gupta are Directors of Raj Solvent. Two Accountants whose premises were also searched include Arun Kumar and Satish Kumar.
In Kishtwar district of Jammu region, the CBI searched house and office of an Engineer Rishi Sharma, originally a resident of village Wanitrigam in Kishtwar district, presently putting up at Shakti Nagar in Jammu and working as Junior Engineer in Kiru Hydro Electric Power Project.
Sources said nearly Rs 55 lakh worth cash and important items including electronic gadgets like laptops, mobile telephones and some documents have been recovered during the day-long searches.
As per the sources, the CBI suspects that money trails in allotment of Kiru Hydro Electric Power Project leads to the chemical firms. Some of the entries by one of the leading company have been made in the firms and the investigators suspect that the money has gone to the pocket of one of the prominent beneficiary of the kickbacks.
Documents and entries in the banks have been collected by the CBI to pursue the money trail.
The CBI has been investigating alleged graft in awarding the contract for the Rs 2,200-crore civil work for the Kiru Hydro Power Project in Kishtwar in 2019.
This was the fifth round of searches in the case as the CBI had already carried out similar operations on April 21 and July 6 in 2022 and May 17 and December 2 in 2023.
The last round of searches in December were spread across three locations, including the premises of Kanwaljeet Singh Duggal of Mainstream IT Solutions Private Limited and D P Singh. Three premises of the company and Duggal in Delhi and one each in Shimla, Noida and Chandigarh were covered during the operation.
Satya Pal Malik, who was the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir from August 23, 2018 to October 30, 2019, had alleged that he was offered a Rs 300-crore bribe for clearing two files, including the one pertaining to the Kiru Hydro Electric Power Project.
The case was registered on allegations of malpractices in award of the contract worth approximately Rs 2,200 crore of civil works of Kiru Hydro Electric Power Project (HEP) to a private company in the year 2019.
The agency has booked the former chairman of the Chenab Valley Power Projects (Private) Limited, Navin Kumar Chaudhary, former officials M S Babu, M K Mittal and Arun Kumar Mishra and Patel Engineering Limited.
“Though a decision was taken in 47th board meeting of CVPPPL (Chenab Valley Power Projects (P) Ltd) for re-tender through e-tendering with reverse auction after cancellation of ongoing tendering process, same was not implemented (as per decision taken in 48th board meeting) and tender was finally awarded to Patel Engineering Limited,” the FIR has alleged.–(Daily Excelsior)
