In its continuing fight against corruption, CBI has been
laying great emphasis on preventive vigilance and Anti Corruption
Work. Special Drives have became an important feature of the
working of CBI. The objective is to target officers of doubtful
integrity in corruption prone areas directly affecting the
public. The CBI conducts large scale raids on a particular
day during the Special Drive in order to create the necessary
impact in the general public that the Govt. of India and CBI
are serious about their commitment to take concrete action
against corruption. Officers of the CBI have worked for several
months to develop actionable intelligence for registering
cases during this Special Drive.
The first Special Drive of the year 2005 is being conducted
today in which all branches of CBI in the various parts of
the country are participating. In this drive special emphasis
has been given on developing intelligence on the ill-gotten
wealth accumulated by unscrupulous public servants by corrupt
means.
During this Special Drive 68 cases have been registered so
far against 194 persons. This includes 126 public servants
and 68 private individuals. Cases have been registered under
Indian Penal Code, Prevention of Corruption Act, Information
Technology Act, Indian Telegraph Act, Antique & Art Treasure
Act, Passport Act etc. These case mainly involve officials
of departments DGFT, Customs and Central Excise, Income Tax,
Railways, Archaeological Survey of India, Employees Provident
Fund Organization, MCD, DDA, IMD, Regional Passport Offices
and Nationalised Banks.
CBI has conducted searches at 249 places throughout the country.
Delhi (89), Kolkata (28), Mumbai (7), Jaipur (4), Coimbatore
(3) Ludhiana (3), Pune (3), Nagpur (3), Chennai (5) Vizag
(2) Ahemadabad (2), Kharkhpur (1), Raj Nagar, Orissa (3),
Aurangabad (2) Meerut (1), Allahabad (1), Patna (1) , Raipur
(1).
In these cases cash of more than Rs. 1 crore and 11 lacs
has been recovered and moveable / immovable properties of
around Rs.10 crore and 5 lacs detected so far. This is a tentative
figure because most of searches are in progress and investigations
are in the preliminary stage. The bank lockers are yet to
be opened and examined. Many immovable properties detected
are yet to be evaluated.
25 public servants have been booked for amassing assets for
disproportionate assets to their known source of income. Notable
public servants against whom cases have been registered and
searches are continuing include:
w The former Director General, Indian Met Department; Director
Airport Authority Hyderabad; General Manager, Hindustan Shipyad
Ltd.; Senior Commercial Manager, Railways; Enforcement Officer,
Employees Provident Fund Organisation; Dy. Director, DGS&D;
Director, Income Tax; Executive Engineers MCD and DDA.
In these cases the highlights of recoveries, as per information
received so far are:
w Rs.31.5 lacs has been recovered in cash from the residence
of Asstt. Commissioner, Income Tax, Hyderabad, who also has
FDs of Rs.50 lacs, promissory notes worth Rs. 30 lacs, bank
balance of Rs. 36 lacs. Total Rs. 147 lacs plus share certificates
and immovable property which is being evaluated.
w During the searches in a case registered against a Commissioner
of Centra Excise (IRS-76) & Asstt. Commissioner, Central
Excise, cash of Rs. 14 lacs has been recovered from the houses
of the Asstt. Commissioner and three flats & a duplex
house in Mumbai detected.
w In a case of Gandhi Nagar against Senior Commercial Manger,
Railways Cash worth Rs.6.5 lacs has been recovered. This officer
deposited Rs 30 lacs in January, 2005 in the local Post Office
in the name of his parents. He deposited Rs 32 lacs with private
builders in Gandhinagar. Searches has revealed that he has
20-25 bank accounts. Searchers are continuing in various places
to detect all his ill gotten wealth.
w In Lucknow in a case against a Divisional Medical Officer
Railways, Gorakhpur cash worth Rs. 8 lacs has been detected.
He has 2.98 lacs in his account and FDRs. He has a triple
storey house worth Rs. 1 crore and plots at Gorakhpur and
a flat at Delhi which are yet to be evaluated.
w In a case against Under Secretary, Science and Technology,
New Delhi, assets of more than Rs. 1.5 crore have been detected
which includes two plots of land, 6 flats in Noida, Gurgaon,
10 bank accounts and 4 cars.
w In a case registered against Executive Engineer, MCD Delhi
assets worth Rs. 1.33 crore have been detected.
w In a case against a Deputy Director, DGS&D Rs.2.55
lac has been recovered. His other moveable assets includes
FDRs, Bonds, Shares Jewellery to tune of Rs 25 lacs. He has
plots in Shahdra, Noida, and a flat in Ashok vihar, Delhi,
besides a farm house in Indore. All these immovable properties
are being evaluated.
w In the case registered against Enforcement Officer, Employees
Provident Fund Organisation, Pune, Cash worth Rs. 7.30 lacs
has been seized, Rs 2.19 lacs found in lockers, FDs and Bonds
worth Rs. 2.20 lacs have been recovered. The officer has one
bungalow in Pune and a flat. He also has two cars. Other properties
are being identified.
w In a case registered against a Deputy Commissioner, MCD
and four others in Delhi a huge scam involving bogus payment
of pensions to widows and old age persons has been detected.
These officers of MCD had been paying old age pension to fictitious
persons since the year 2002. During searches today, documents
relating to immovable properties of a Chief Accounts officer
and Dy. Commissioner, MCD have been recovered. The Chief Accounts
Officer had been sending lacs of rupees to his home in Kerala
over the past two - three years.
w During the searches conducted at the residence of an account
officer of BSNL Kolkata, assets worth Rs. 90 lacs have been
detected which includes Rs. 15 lacs kept in a bank locker.
Other high lights of cases registered include registration
of a case in Chennai wherein illegal telephone exchanges operating
in Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu and Kerala of more than 100 lines
were detected. These illegal exchanges were operating as parallel
international long distance call network for the last several
months causing huge loss to BSNL and Govt. authorities.
w A case has been registered about auction fraud on Internet
on the complaint of Bazee.com wherein private persons have
been misusing the website to cheat people in property matters.
w In a case where surprise checks have been conducted in
antique shops at Kolkata in collaboration with Archeological
Survey of India several paintings and other antiques have
been detected. Similarly a case of illegal exports of Shahtoosh
shawl has been registered against some foreigners and customs
officials.
w 7 cases have been registered against officers of DGFT,
Customs and Central Excise and private persons of UP and Tamil
Nadu involving procurement of duty free advance import licences
using forged documents.
w 2 cases have been registered against officers of Regional
Passport office of Delhi and certain private individuals for
issuing forged passports on additional passport booklets by
forgery and cheating.
w 2 cases have been registered against officers of Department
of Economic Affairs and certain private individuals for forging
duty free exemption certificates to avail customs duty exemption
of Rs.29 crores.
w A case has been registered against Director, SC/ST/OBC
financial corporation Delhi for causing a wrongful loss of
Rs. 4.5 crores to the corporation in the process of imparting
software training to the candidates sponsored by the corporation.
w In 2 cases registered against officials of Regional Passport
office New Delhi 59 fake passports have been recovered. 11
of these passports have recovered from the residence of one
of the officials of the passport office.
w 4 cases have been registered against officers of MCD and
Private Contractors for their involvment in a criminal conspiracy
where substandard retro reflective sign boards were supplied
to the MCD causing loss of crores of rupees. Apart from JEs
/ AEs, 6 Executive Engineers have also been named in these
cases. During search of the residence of one of the AEs, 1
Kg of gold jewellery and cash worth Rs. 1.63 lacs have been
recovered.
