The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a Brigadier in the city on charges of involvement in a corruption case for promoting goods of one specific agency to the Ministry of Defence’s Central Stores Department, also known as CSD, CBI sources said here on Tuesday.
With this, the number of arrests in the scandal has risen to five. The CBI sources said the number of arrests is expected to increase, since only one middleman has been arrested so far.
The Central Stores Department’s annual supply is worth around Rs. 10,000 crore, as it serves 20 lakh retired and serving officers of the defence services in the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Its head office is located in Mumbai. The officials and middlemen of M/s Sankalp arrested so far have been charged with entering into a criminal conspiracy and manipulating the demand of various CSD items in favour of the clients of M/s Sankalp.
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Giving information on the recent arrest on Tuesday, a CBI press note stated: “Brigadier Shri Anuj Kainthla, Joint General Manager-I, had accepted Rs. 7.5 lakh from M/s. Sankalp, for taking a favourable decision at various stages, such as introduction of items, price revision, and issue of supply orders. During initial investigation, it is revealed that he invested the ill-gotten money in real estate at Panchkula.
“CSD officials also favoured M/s. Sankalp at various stages, such as introduction of new items, price revision, delayed and excess supply, demand creation, artificial budget allocation, etc. In lieu of favour, M/s. Sankalp, through Shri Milind Govilkar, paid huge illegal gratification to several officials of CSD.”
M/s Sankalp was found to have been flouting norms by acting as a marketing arm of many companies. It is against the policies laid down by CSD.
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Brigadier Kainthla is a part of the purchasing committee which decides the quantum and the goods to be procured by the CSD for disbursal in its outlets throughout the country.
The CBI had earlier arrested the Joint General Manager of CSD Head Office, Bikas Ranjan Daschaudhary; Director of M/s Sankalp Consumer Products Private Limited, Milind Govilkar; and Vilas Harer, and Manohar Vibhute, for allegedly conspiring and colluding with Mr. Govilkar from Mumbai and Pune.
All of them have been booked under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.