CBI registers corruption case against IAS officer

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against four government employees, including a senior Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer, and Daman-based six distilleries for allegedly causing a loss of Rs 340 crore to the exchequer.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against four government employees, including a senior Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer, and Daman-based six distilleries for allegedly causing a loss of Rs 340 crore to the exchequer.

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According to CBI, a case under different Sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against O Ravi, Joint Secretary (Disaster Management), Ministry of Home Affairs and two excise inspectors - Ramesh Mahyavanshi and Vijay Halpati - and against sub-inspector Suresh Dhodi.

The case was also registered against the directors of six distilleries - Khemani Distilleries, Royal Distilleries, Jupiter Distilleries, Krimpy Distilleries, Silver Star Distilleries and Dharmesh Distilleries and other persons for fraud.

"It has been alleged that in order to evade excise duty and VAT (Value Added Tax), the distilleries of Daman in connivance with officials of the excise department resorted to under reporting of production by preparing fake documents," a CBI spokesperson said.

CBI has conducted searches in 36 places in Daman, Mumbai and New Delhi.

Ravi, a 1983-batch Gujarat cadre IAS officer, allegedly accepted a bribe of Rs 25 lakh to get the Daman administrator transferred, he said.

Sources said Ministry of Home Affairs has asked the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to suspend Ravi. The suspension orders are likely to be issued late Wednesday or on Thursday, they said.