The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested four accused including a General Manager and a Manager (Accounts) of Food Corporation of India, Odisha Region, Bhubaneswar, proprietor of a private company, and a middleman in case of demanding and accepting bribe of Rs 1 lakh for extending favour to the firm of the proprietor in securing a tender relating to transportation of rice grain.
The arrested persons, according the investigating agency, are Prem Singh Bhanot, General Manager, Food Corporation of India, Odisha Region, Bhubaneswar, Sanjoy Dey, Manager (Accounts), Food Corporation of India, Odisha Region, Bhubaneswar, Syed Hasnain Ahmed, Kolkata (middleman) and Malina Dey, proprietor of SP Traders and Suppliers Private Limited.
The CBI had registered a case against five accused including a General Manager and a Manager (Accounts), both of Food Corporation of India, Odisha Region, Bhubaneswar; two middlemen; a Kolkata based Proprietor of a private company and unknown others on 28 June.
It was alleged that accused FCI personnel, in connivance with middlemen and proprietor of a private firm, were indulging in corrupt activities causing wrongful gain to themselves and wrongful loss to the government exchequer, in the matters related to processing the tender pertaining to transportation of rice grain.
The CBI laid a trap and the GM, FCI, Proprietor and other accused middleman were caught upon delivery of a bribe amount of Rs 1 lakh. All the three accused caught during trap proceedings and Manager (Accounts) of FCI were arrested.
All the arrested accused persons were produced before the Competent Court at Bhubaneswar and have been remanded to police custody till 6 July, 2024.
The CBI also conducted searches at Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bhubaneswar which led to recovery of around Rs 5 lakh cash, locker keys, mobiles, laptops and incriminating documents.