E-Paper
₹6.5 crore compensation fraud: CBI probes Kandla–Gorakhpur LPG pipeline project, raids multiple cities
According to the complaint, IHBL, a joint venture of Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum executing the pipeline project, is responsible for releasing land compensation across Uttar Pradesh. The preliminary probe stated that the accused officials allegedly forged documents and created fake bank accounts to divert compensation meant for legitimate landowners.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday and Wednesday carried out searches across Lucknow, Noida and Prayagraj after a complaint from Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) regarding an alleged ₹6.5 crore fraudulent compensation scam linked to the Kandla–Gorakhpur LPG pipeline project.
According to the complaint, IHBL, a joint venture of Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum executing the pipeline project, is responsible for releasing land compensation across Uttar Pradesh. The preliminary probe stated that the accused officials allegedly forged documents and created fake bank accounts to divert compensation meant for legitimate landowners.
The project, covering nearly 2,800 km across UP and MP, has an estimated cost of ₹1,000 crore.
The raids were conducted by the CBI’s anti-corruption branch, Lucknow, which has also registered an FIR based on a complaint from the IOCL chief vigilance officer (CVO) and IPS officer Anant Singh.
Those named in the FIR include former IOCL GM (Projects) Faisal Hasan, now posted as GM (Materials) in the Petroleum Ministry, IOCL officers Gaurav Singh and Sunil Kumar Ahirwar, engineer Vineet Kumar Singh, Surya Pratap Singh, and revenue officials Abhishek Pandey, Vishal Dwivedi and Ashish Kumar Singh, along with unidentified associates.
Following the FIR, coordinated searches were held at multiple places, including the homes of Gaurav Singh at Omaxe Heights in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow; Faisal Hasan at Lotus Especia in Noida’s Sector 100; and Sunil Kumar Ahirwar in Dhoomanganj, Prayagraj.
Officials said several incriminating documents and digital records were recovered during the operation.
A “Competent Authority” (CA) appointed by the Centre handles land acquisition, ownership verification and assessment of crop and structure losses before finalising compensation.
The CVO alleged that a group of officials, in collusion with private individuals, inserted ineligible and fake names into the beneficiary list and altered bank account details to divert compensation to unauthorised accounts. The bulk of the alleged fraudulent payouts took place in Prayagraj and Bhadohi, with irregularities also found in Unnao, Kanpur Nagar, Kanpur Dehat, Lalitpur and Rae Bareli.
