New Delhi: A day before swooping in on the office and residential premises of a lieutenant colonel and his colonel-wife in Delhi and Sri Ganganagar, the CBI booked the officer-couple on allegations that they arranged government approvals for Dubai-based logistics company D P World in exchange for bribes.
The alleged bribe, to the tune of Rs 3 lakh, was paid to Lt Col Deepak Kumar Sharma for helping the company get the Ministry of External Affairs’ approval for a Dubai-bound cargo of DP World, the CBI claimed in its FIR.
The agency has stated in the FIR that a middleman, named Vinod Kumar, allegedly delivered the bribe money Thursday at the Delhi-residence of Lt Col Sharma, who was on deputation as a deputy planning officer, International Cooperation and Exports, Department of Defence Production in the Ministry of Defence.
The CBI has arrested both Sharma and Kumar, and they are currently in its custody.
The agency also booked Sharma’s wife Kajal Bali, a Colonel, posted as the Commanding Officer of the 16 Infantry Division Ordnance Unit in Sri Ganganagar.
After filing the FIR, including against the India-based representatives of DP World, including Rajiv Yadav and Ravjit Singh, the agency raided the premises of all accused across Bengaluru, Sri Ganganagar, and Jammu, as well as the official and residential premises of Lt Col Sharma in Delhi.
From his premises, the agency said, it recovered Rs 2.23 crore, along with Rs 3 lakh purportedly paid as bribe to him the day before.
From the premise of the officer’s wife in Sri Ganganagar, the agency allegedly recovered Rs 10 lakh along with additional incriminating documents.
‘Criminal conspiracy since October’
The officer couple and representatives of DP World, one of the world’s largest logistics companies, came to the agency’s attention after it received a tip-off that they formed a syndicate in which Lt Col Sharma allegedly agreed to help various private companies dealing in defence manufacturing and exports obtain requisite government clearances.
As part of the conspiracy, which the CBI claimed was hatched in October, Sharma would use his rank and connections within the Union government to secure approvals and clearances for the company. The agency has also documented that Sharma informed his wife that he was collecting bribes for his personal use. The CBI has also not directly linked her to the bribe.
The agency was further informed that DP World representatives, Yadav and Singh, approached Sharma in October this year to arrange approvals from the Ministry of External Affairs for a Dubai-bound shipment.
“It is revealed that Lt. Col. Deepak Kumar Sharma, by using his connections and influence, got the approval issued in respect of the said consignment relating to M/s DP World,” the agency recorded in its FIR.
The first attempt to secure a part of the “undue advantage” was made on 8 December by Rajiv Yadav to Lt Col Sharma, when the DP World representative asked him for his whereabouts and the address where the promised bribe was to be delivered.
“Upon this, Deepak Kumar Sharma informed that he would be available at his Delhi residence after 7 pm and also reportedly shared his address so as to receive the amount of undue advantage. However, as per the source information, the undue advantage could not be delivered on that day,” the CBI further recorded in the FIR.
Later, Vinod Kumar approached Lt Col Sharma and requested that he share his residential address for the delivery of the bribe, the CBI FIR alleged, adding that Kumar subsequently visited his residence the same evening and delivered Rs 3 lakh in bribe.
Kumar had allegedly approached Lt Col Sharma at the behest of Rajiv Yadav and Madhu, suspected to be another intermediary. Kumar also informed them after the alleged delivery of the bribe.
“It is alleged that Lt. Col. Deepak Kumar Sharma, habitually indulges in corrupt and illegal activities, in criminal conspiracy with representatives of various private companies dealing in defence products manufacturing, export etc., by obtaining undue advantage/bribe from them in exchange of providing undue favours to them,” a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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