The Hindu : CBI takes up nationwide anti-corruption drive

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Sunday, Feb 24, 2002

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CBI takes up nationwide anti-corruption drive
By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, FEB. 23. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today said that its countrywide special anti-corruption drive focussed on complaints of corruption involving 112 government officials from several departments such as the CPWD, Delhi Development Authority, Delhi Vidyut Board, Income Tax, Port Trust, Customs and Central Excise and public sector banks.

During the drive on Friday, the agency took up 36 cases for investigation. The operation, launched simultaneously in different places of the country, was monitored by the Joint Directors of the regions concerned and Central units of the CBI located in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Delhi. Immediate probe by selected staff have been ordered in all the cases. Extensive and simultaneous searches were also carried out at 109 official and residential premises of the suspected persons under the direct supervision of the DIGs and SPs of the CBI.

In an official release, the CBI said cases taken up for investigation were of three divisions - Anti-Corruption, Economic Offences and Special Crimes. Five cases were taken by the Economic Offences Division in Delhi and Mumbai. In these cases, 21 suspected persons belonging to Union Bank of India, Reserve Bank of India, Sikkim Bank, United Bank of India and private firms located at Mumbai. The CBI maintained that the cases pertained to cheating, export fraud, abuse of official powers and falsification of records resulting in wrongful loss to the banks and public institutions.

The Special Crimes Division registered nine cases in which around 30 persons were involved. Some of the these cases had been registered on the directions of the High Courts or in pursuance of further investigations carried out in the Fake Arms Licence case, the agency said.

The Anti-Corruption branches in Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Gandhinagar, Lucknow, Bhopal and Chandigarh took up 22 cases for intensive investigation in which 38 persons were involved. Searches were carried out at 78 places. The suspect officials belong to the CPWD, DDA, Port Trust, and some of them were senior Executive Engineers and Commissioners in the Central Customs and Excise Department. The CBI said searches resulted in the recovery of several documents, disclosure of disproportionate assets, benami bank accounts and investments. It was pointed out that investigation of these cases would take up some more time before the agency could compile the final tally.

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