CBI books two Army officers for graft

The CBI has booked two Army officers for allegedly taking bribes of over Rs 82 lakh from a civilian supplier in the procurement of rations for troops posted in Nagaland, officials said Tuesday.

The action has been taken on a complaint from Brigadier Rajiv Gautam posted at the headquarters of the Army's 3 Corps.

Lt Col Amit Sharma and Lt Col Sutikshan Rana, officers of the Army Service Corps, received bribes worth Rs 82 lakh between 2012 and 2016 from a supplier of ration, according to the complaint, which also stated that the figure might increase.

Sharma was commanding officer of the Army Service Corps (Supply) Type 'C' at Dimapur from July 27, 2012, to October 15, 2014, while Rana held the position from October 16, 2014, to September 10, 2016.

The Army had carried out a court of inquiry during which it was found that Rs 82 lakh were allegedly paid to these two officers by Jai Prakash Singh, a contractor, it said.

During a seven-month-long preliminary enquiry, the CBI managed to established alleged payments of Rs 10 lakh and Rs 3.40 lakh from Singh to Sharma and Rana, respectively, the officials said.

The payments were made through bank deposits of third parties known or close to the family members of Sharma and Rana, they said.