The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested a manager of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and a businessman for exchanging ₹2 lakh bribe to extend favours in foodgrain procurement.
The manager, identified as Gagan Negi, was working at the FCI’s regional office for Punjab in Chandigarh. The businessman, Ravinder Singh, alias Bunty, is from Amritsar. He owns a private firm, Bunty Enterprises, which deals in sale and purchase of rice.
The two were caught red-handed during a raid at the Industrial Area, Chandigarh, following a tip-off. They were produced in the CBI special court on Thursday and sent to judicial custody.
The FCI is a statutory body under the Union ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution, and among other functions oversees sale of surplus foodgrains in Punjab through e-auctions.
According to sources in the CBI, Bunty was obtaining undue business from the FCI by manipulating the process of procurement and e-auction of foodgrains. He was operating several bidder IDs generated in the name of his firms to place multiple bids in e-auctions, and was paying Negi to look the other way.
According to the FIR, Negi had favoured Bunty in getting an FCI tender at Makhu in Ferozepur, delaying special procurement at Patti in Tarn Taran, and delaying the inspection of his firm in Amritsar to give him time to reconcile his accounts.
{{/usCountry}}According to the FIR, Negi had favoured Bunty in getting an FCI tender at Makhu in Ferozepur, delaying special procurement at Patti in Tarn Taran, and delaying the inspection of his firm in Amritsar to give him time to reconcile his accounts.
{{/usCountry}}In the past few weeks, Negi had allegedly made several calls to Bunty to seek the bribe, and finally they had decided to meet near a mall in the Industrial Area in Chandigarh three days ago, where they were arrested.
The CBI also conducted searches at various properties of the duo in Chandigarh, Zirakpur and Amritsar. According to the investigating agency, this is not the first time that Negi had received bribe from Bunty and is habitual of obtaining illegal gratification from many other mill owners in lieu of rendering undue favours.
A case has been registered under Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 7 (public servant taking gratification other than legal remuneration in respect of an official act) and 12 (punishment for abetment of offences defined in Section 7) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. If found guilty, they face imprisonment for a term not less than six months and extendable up to five years and will also be liable to pay fine.