Lt Col demanded bribe of 7-8% of every order for himself: CBI FIR

The CBI’s FIR against Lt. Col Rahul Pawar and three others was registered under section 120-B of the IPC and sections 7, 7A and 8 of the Prevention of Corruption Act on August 20

: A Lieutenant Colonel, who was arrested in an alleged ₹ 22.48 lakh bribery case in Ambala Cantonment, had demanded a bribe of 7-8% of every order from a contractor, states the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) first information report (FIR) against the accused.

Lt Col demanded bribe of 7-8% of every order for himself: CBI FIR

The CBI on Sunday arrested Lt. Col. Rahul Pawar, who was posted as senior barracks store officer (SBSO) and Subedar Major Pradeep Kumar, both of the Military Engineering Services (MES) in Ambala Cantonment, and two contractors in the case.

Officials said the alleged payment of the bribe was to ensure that most of the tenders/orders from the Ambala Cantonment were awarded to the said private contractors.

The FIR, citing an unidentified source that tipped off the agency, also states that a the Subedar Major obtained “45-55% of the value of awarded orders as illegal gratification for himself as well as for the senior officer” from the contractors, referred as private persons by the CBI.

Besides Rahul and Pradeep, the other two identified in the CBI’s FIR, that was made available of Tuesday, are Dinesh Kumar, private contractor or order supplier from Kurukshetra and his business associate Pritpal from Defence Colony here.

The complaint was registered under section 120-B of the IPC and sections 7, 7A and 8 of the Prevention of Corruption Act on August 20 at 8:10 am based on oral information provided by the “reliable” source at the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Bureau at Sector 30 in Chandigarh.

Quoting the source, the CBI alleged that Pradeep, while posted at the MES, has been “indulging into corrupt practices in as much as he is sharing vital information relating to processing and award of tenders” with the said men.

“The source has also informed that Pradeep by virtue of his official position ensures that Dinesh Kumar and Pritpal get most of the orders issued from MES Ambala and obtain from them 45-55% of the value of awarded orders as illegal gratification for himself as well as for the senior officers,” the central agency said.

It further added that on June 7, 2022, Dinesh went to meet Lt. Col. Rahul Pawar, where the latter “demanded bribe of 7-8% of every order for himself.”

On August 8, Pradeep, who had gone to Lucknow on leave, demanded ₹ 5 lakhs from Dinesh and further directed him to deliver this amount to him in Lucknow itself, on which Dinesh said that he will consult with Pritpal.

The source also informed the CBI that on August 13, Pradeep reiterated his demand, on which Dinesh refused to make delivery in Lucknow and said that it could be done at Ambala once he returns from leave by Monday or Tuesday.

“On August 17, Pradeep asked Dinesh Kumar whether he had met the SBSO, on which he replied in negative. Same day, Pritpal told Dinesh that they can’t ask for any further favour from Pradeep before paying the amount… Pritpal told Dinesh that he will deliver it by Saturday or Sunday. Hence, both will be delivering an amount of ₹ 5 lakhs to Pradeep Kumar for himself as well as the bribe amount to be paid to the senior officers at anytime by Saturday or Sunday,” the FIR further detailed.

Hours after the registration of FIR, raids and searches were carried out at several locations in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Pune and Lucknow for at least three days, ending on Monday, it has been learnt.

CBI laid a trap and caught both the public servants and the said private persons in the course of transaction of ₹ 22.48 lakhs.

They were arrested after ₹ 32.50 lakhs and incriminating documents were recovered from the premises of the Lt Col Rahul Pawar and ₹ 16 lakh from the possession of the private persons, the central agency had said in an initial statement.

All are under a three-day remand since Monday and will be re-presented before CBI court in Panchkula on Thursday in the case.Meanwhile, the army is yet to issue any statement on the development. ENDS