Mumbai, Jul 23 (PTI) A special court here on Thursday remanded an IRCTC executive as well as the director of a private hospitality firm in CBI custody till July 27 in a bribery case linked to the clearance of railway catering bills.
The accused have been identified as Tridib Banerjee, a senior executive at Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation’s West Zone office in Mumbai, and Amar Thakkar, director of Kolkata-based Araha Hospitality Private Limited.
The Central Bureau of Investigation has alleged that Banerjee accepted bribes to clear pending bills for the supply of meals on trains running on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad and Delhi-Lucknow routes.
The agency said Rs. 3,98,500 was paid as undue advantage, with the illicit payments being reportedly routed through Deepak Parmar, an acquaintance of Thakkar.
Banerjee and Thakkar were produced before special CBI judge NP Mehta.
The CBI, represented by Special Public Prosecutor Sandeep Singh, sought their custody for five days, citing that the investigation was at a “nascent and crucial stage”.
The CBI produced before the court the transcripts of phone calls between Banerjee and Thakkar, as well as between Thakkar and Parmar, which the agency said clearly indicate the demand and acceptance of bribe money.
Furthermore, the probe agency flagged suspicious financial activity in Banerjee’s bank accounts, noting multiple unexplained cash deposits made between January and June of this year.
Defence lawyers, however, opposed the remand, denying the allegations of a corrupt nexus.
After hearing both sides, the court noted that the call transcripts, prima facie, point toward a bribery arrangement brokered to clear bills pending on Banerjee’s desk.
The court said the bank statements indicating cash receipts required a proper explanation.
At this preliminary stage, it is difficult to believe the money was merely a personal loan as claimed by the defence, the court added.
Emphasizing the need for a thorough probe to unearth the broader conspiracy, the judge granted their custody to the Central Bureau of Investigation till July 27. AVI PTI BNM
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