CBI arrests four, including two PESO officials, in ₹10L bribery probe

The CBI today laid a trap and caught the alleged bribe giver and the tout while exchanging the said bribe.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday arrested four accused including two Deputy Chief Controllers of Explosives of the Nagpur-based central statutory authority, Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation ( PESO), a Rajasthan-based firm’s director and a suspected tout, in an alleged ₹10 lakh bribery case, in which illegal gratification was asked for facilitating department- related work.

The CBI had begun a probe into bribery allegations against a tout, a bribe giver and unknown officials of the government organisation (File)

The CBI had begun a probe into bribery allegations against a tout, a bribe giver and unknown officials of the government organisation, which regulates safety in the manufacturing, storage, transportation and handling of hazardous substances. The agency initiated its probe on receipt of information that the accused persons allegedly sought ₹10 lakh as a bribe from a Rajasthan-based firm manufacturing electronic detonators in lieu of granting an approval.

“The CBI today laid a trap and caught the alleged bribe giver and the tout while exchanging the said bribe. The role of the two Deputy Chief Controllers of Explosive, PESO, had emerged and they were also caught,” a CBI official said. Those arrested included the alleged bribe giver, Devi Kachhawaha, the director of the firm based in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, the alleged middleman, Priyadarshan Deshpandey, and the two PESO officials, Vivek Kumar and Ashok Dalela, both of the rank of Deputy Chief Controller of Explosives, Nagpur, the CBI official said. All the arrested accused were produced before a Nagpur special court that remanded them to CBI’s custody till Saturday.

During the searches conducted at the residence of Deshpandey in Nagpur, cash of around Rs.1.19 crore, a gold biscuit, silver metal dye and incriminating documents were recovered by the CBI. During searches at the premises of one of the arrested officials, cash of around Rs. 88 lakh and incriminating documents were recovered. Some incriminating documents were also recovered at the premises of the other arrested official, according to the agency.

To probe the allegations of corruption against the then-unknown government officials, the alleged middleman and the firm’s director, the CBI registered the case on Wednesday under section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act for an attempt to obtain undue advantage by public servant, taking undue advantage to influence/induce public servant by corrupt and illegal means and bribing of a public servant.

It was alleged that the firm allegedly wanted to utilise its electronic detonator manufacturing unit’s capacity up to 75% till March 2024 as per an existing licence. Besides, the firm also allegedly wanted to amend the terms of its licence and of two other licences from the central authority, CBI sources said. A few officials of the central authority were suspected of facilitating the pending works of the firm by way of providing favour to the firm’s director, through the tout, agency sources said.

The CBI had learnt that the middleman in an alleged criminal conspiracy with unknown officials had contacted the director of the Chittorgarh-based firm, to get its pending works accomplished by obtaining a bribe of ₹10 lakh, the sources said. Following the intelligence, the CBI probe found that the firm’s director had allegedly reached Nagpur on Monday by a flight to meet the middleman.