Court denies bail to middleman in army transfer racket

A Delhi court on Friday refused to grant bail to an alleged middleman, arrested along with a Lieutenant Colonel in connection with a transfer racket in the Army Headquarters here.

Special CBI Judge Naresh Kumar Malhotra denied bail to Gaurav Kohli while taking into consideration that the investigation was at a crucial stage.

"If released on bail, the accused might hamper the ongoing investigation since officers allegedly paid lakhs of rupees to manipulate their postings," said the court.

Kohli has been in judicial custody, along with Lt. Col. Ranganathan Suvramani Moni, who was posted in the Personnel Department.

Kohli had filed the bail plea stating that since he was not required for further probe, he should be granted bail.

Moni was arrested along with Kohli from the former's residence here following a tip-off.

According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Moni and Kohli took a bribe for the transfer of a Bengaluru-based army officer to a location of his choice.

The investigation agency teams conducted raids on the premises of the accused and others at over 10 places in Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram and seized Rs 10 lakh and several incriminating documents.

The CBI said both were arrested when Kohli visited Moni's house to deliver him Rs 2 lakh, part of the Rs 5-lakh bribe, for the transfer of army officer S. Subhas.

"With their arrest, the CBI has busted a transfer racket in the Army Headquarters here that involved manipulation of army postings in lieu of illegal gratification," the CBI said.

Besides Moni and Kohli, the CBI has also registered an FIR against a Secunderabad-based army officer Purushottam, S. Subhas and other unnamed persons for criminal conspiracy under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Moni was commissioned in the Indian Army in August 1994 and had been posted at the Army Headquarters since August 2015. He hails from Thiruvananthapuram.

--IANS

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