MUMBAI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a senior executive of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and a director of a Kolkata-based hospitality firm for allegedly demanding and accepting bribes worth ₹3.98 lakh to secure the clearance of bills linked to onboard catering services on Tejas trains.
Details
According to the FIR, Banerjee demanded and accepted ₹3.98 lakh in two instalments for clearing the firm’s bills, of which ₹1.98 lakh was paid for a bill cleared in April and ₹2 lakh for another cleared in June, for improper and dishonest discharge of his duties associated with his office, agency officials said.
During the investigation on Wednesday, both the accused were confronted at the IRCTC’s West Zone Office, Mumbai, regarding the alleged bribery. The agency also allegedly recovered bags from Thakkar containing cash amounting to ₹4.50 lakh and ₹13,200.
The CBI has also named Thakkar’s Mumbai-based associate, D Parmar, alleging that he deposited the cash into Banerjee’s bank account on Thakkar’s instructions. The agency said it is also probing the role of other unidentified persons in the alleged corruption.
According to the CBI, the hospitality firm secured an IRCTC contract in November last year to provide onboard catering and allied services on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai and Lucknow-New Delhi Tejas routes. Since meal costs are included in passengers’ fares, the contractor periodically raises bills with IRCTC for reimbursement.
The agency alleged that in April, Thakkar approached the IRCTC’s Mumbai West Zone office to expedite pending payments. Banerjee allegedly asked him to have the bills forwarded from the Ahmedabad regional office and later demanded a bribe to ensure their clearance.
After the bills were approved, Thakkar allegedly instructed Parmar to deposit ₹1.98 lakh into Banerjee’s account through four ATM cash transactions on April 21.
The CBI alleged that the same pattern was repeated in June, when Banerjee allegedly sought another ₹2 lakh after clearing a fresh bill. Parmar is accused of depositing the amount through four ATM transactions on June 8.
The accused have been booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Corruption Act for offences including criminal conspiracy, bribery and abetment.
source
The accused, IRCTC executive Tridib Banerjee and firm director Amar Thakkar, were arrested on Wednesday after the agency registered an FIR against them a day earlier based on source information.
