The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested five individuals, including its own deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and two officials from Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL), in connection with an alleged corruption and bribery case.
NCL, a 'Mini Ratna' company under the Coal Ministry, has been implicated in the case. The CBI conducted searches on August 17 across locations in Singrauli, Jabalpur, and Noida in Uttar Pradesh.
The searches targeted the premises of various NCL officials, including Subedar Ojha, Private Secretary to the NCL CMD, former CMD Bhola Singh, the current chief vigilance officer, and other senior officers.
The arrested individuals are DSP Joy Joseph Damle, stationed at the CBI anti-corruption branch in Jabalpur; Subedar Ojha; Lt Col (retired) Basant Kumar Singh, chief manager of administration at NCL; Ravi Shankar Singh, an alleged middleman and director of Sangam Engineering; and his associate Diwesh Singh.
The CBI produced the suspects before a special court in Jabalpur, which remanded them to CBI custody until August 24. The agency reported that Rs 3.85 crore in cash was recovered from Ojha’s residence, which was allegedly collected from contractors and officials in exchange for favours.
According to the CBI spokesperson, Ravi Shankar Singh acted as a conduit for bribes between contractors, businessmen, and NCL officials. Diwesh Singh was reportedly caught delivering a Rs 5 lakh bribe to DSP Damle in exchange for a favourable report on ongoing investigations.
The spokesperson detailed that on August 16, under Singh’s instructions, Ajay Verma, an employee of Ravi Shankar Singh, collected Rs 5 lakh from Lt Col (retd) Basant Kumar Singh. This bribe, allegedly sent by Subedar Ojha, was subsequently delivered by Diwesh Singh to DSP Damle on August 17.
The CBI also seized digital devices and "incriminating" documents during the searches.
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