The CBI has arrested the executive secretary to the CMD of Bridge and Roof Company (India) Limited (BRIL), a PSU, and six others in connection with the alleged bribery of Rs 20 lakh to favour a Gujarat-based firm to bag a Rs 56-crore tender for an Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) in Odisha, officials said on Sunday.
Asish Razdan, the executive secretary to the chairman and managing director of BRIL, Hetal Kumar Pravinchandra Rajyaguru, the proprietor of a Rajkot-based private firm, and five others -- Shashank Kumar Jain, Somesh Chandra, Veer Thakkar, Rajiv Ranjan and Tarang Agarwal -- have so far been arrested in the case, they said.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had received information from a source that Kolkata-based middleman Jain, allegedly working for BRIL officials, asked his co-conspirators Chandra and Ranjan to find a suitable party for the EMRS project, according to the FIR.
Ranjan and Chandra allegedly contacted Thakkar, who in turn arranged the Rajkot-based firm -- H P Rajyaguru -- the FIR said.
"It was alleged that a conspiracy was hatched amongst the said accused for getting the tender of Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS), Odisha awarded to the private company (HP Rajyaguru) in lieu of illegal gratification to an unknown public servant of Bridge and Roof Company (India) Limited, Kolkata," a CBI spokesperson said.
The federal agency has accused Jain of demanding a bribe on behalf of unidentified BRIL officers from the owner of the private firm directly as well as through another private person for the awarding of the tender to it.
On August 10, Jain allegedly informed Chandra that he had ensured that the EMRS tender worth Rs 56 crore was awarded to HP Rajyaguru, as promised by him.
The very next day, Chandra allegedly told Ranjan that 4 per cent of the total contract value will be paid to Jain, of which 3 per cent will be used to bribe the BRIL officials while 1 per cent will be divided among all the middlemen -- Chandra, Jain, Ranjan and Thakkar -- the FIR alleged.
The CBI had received information that the proprietor of the firm, Hetal Kumar Pravinchandra Rajyaguru, made multiple payments to the middlemen between August 12 and September 11.
Rajyaguru had allegedly assured Jain that he would send him Rs 20 lakh (approximately) through "hawala" channels, meant for an unidentified public servant of BRIL -- a public sector undertaking (PSU).
The agency laid a trap when the transaction was to take place in Kolkata, arrested two private persons and recovered the bribe amount of Rs 19.96 lakh.
"During the investigation, it was found that the said bribe was allegedly meant for the executive secretary to the CMD, Bridge and Roof Company (India) Limited (a public servant). The said executive secretary and other private persons were also caught," the CBI spokesperson said.
He said the agency conducted searches on the premises of the accused at different locations in Kolkata, Delhi, Noida, Mumbai, Nagpur and Rajkot, which led to the recovery of several incriminating documents, digital evidence and Rs 26.6 lakh (approximately) in cash.
"The proprietor was produced before the competent court at Ahmedabad and was remanded in police custody till September 21. The remaining arrested accused will be produced before the competent court," the CBI spokesperson said.
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