CBI books 7 ITBP officers for alleged corruption worth ₹1.8 crore

New Delhi, The CBI has filed two separate FIRs against seven officers of Indo-Tibetan Border Police for large scale alleged pilferage and fraudulent activities in government stores and corruption worth ₹1.8 crore, officials said Wednesday.

In the first FIR registered on a complaint from ITBP, the CBI has alleged that then Commandant Anupreet Borkar, who was posted in Pithoragarh in collusion with Deputy Commandants Deepak Gogoi, Puran Ram, Mukesh Chand Meena, Inspector Anil Kumar Pandey and contractor Madan Singh Rana, was involved in a series of illegal actions, primarily related to the tendering process for hauling government stores and material to Border Out posts in 2019-21.

The complaint from ITBP has listed 12 instances of alleged corruption during the year 2020-21, the year India-China troops came face to face in Galwan Valley and a major push was given to boosting infrastructure at border outposts.

In one such instance, the force alleged that during 2020-21 approval was given to purchase 105 pairs of Boot Combat Rubber at the rate of ₹1,198 per pair but he purchased cheaper shoes of a different specification at ₹499 per pair causing a loss of ₹73,395 to exchequer.

Between June 23, 2020 and June 26, 2020, around the time Galwan clashes took place in eastern Ladakh, sanction was accorded to the use of eight porters and three ponies during the long-range patrol "Bhoomi" but only seven porters were hired causing a loss of ₹2.05 lakh, the complaint alleged.

The eastern Ladakh military standoff between India and China began in May 2020 and a deadly clash at the Galwan Valley in June that year resulted in a severe strain in ties between the two neighbours.

"The accused abused their discretionary powers, manipulated tender conditions and engaged in illegal activities that led to the embezzlement of significant amounts from government funds, causing a loss of approximately ₹1.54 crore," the CBI FIR alleged.

The second case pertains to alleged pilferage in government stores during 2017-18 and 2018-19, the officials said.

The CBI has booked then Commandant Mahendra Pratap, Gogoi, Meena and contractors Madan Singh Rana, Kundan Singh Bhandari and Puran Singh Bisht for alleged large scale pilferage and fraudulent activities concerning government stores.

The agency has alleged that they were involved in the pilferage and fraudulent haulage of 8,000 litres of subsidised kerosene oil meant for Border Out Posts in Uttarakhand.

"The mode of transportation in the official challans was fraudulently altered to 'Porters' instead of the actual modes of transportation, which were either 'Ponies' or 'civil vehicles'. These alterations and overwriting in official documents were done with a clear intent to misappropriate government funds, causing a significant loss to the public exchequer amounting to ₹22.07 lakh," the FIR alleged.

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