CBI busts transfer racket at Army headquarters, arrests two

The CBI today said it has exposed a major racket at the Army headquarters with the arrest of a Lt Colonel and a middleman who were alleged to be using their contacts in the force to manipulate posting of officers in exchange for bribe.
Lt Col Ranganathan Suvramani Moni in the personnel division of the Army and middleman Gaurav Kohli were arrested while an alleged bribe of Rs two lakh was changing hands for the transfer of a Bengaluru-based officer, CBI sources said.
"Searches were conducted at the premises, including the residence of arrested accused and others in New Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram which led to recovery of cash over 10 lakh (approximately) and incriminating documents and other articles," CBI Spokesperson R K Gaur said.

The searches, which continued till late in the night yesterday, were spread across the premises of the accused and also included that of a Brigadier in the personnel wing at the headquarters.
The agency has registered the case against Moni, Hyderabad-based army officer Purshottam, Bengaluru-based barracks and stores officer (BSO) S Subhas and alleged middleman Gaurav Kohli.
The name of Brigadier S K Grover, DDG Personnel, has been mentioned in the FIR but does not figure in the list of accused.

The agency has seized phones and laptop of Grover during the searches, CBI sources said.
Moni, Kholi and some other senior officers were allegedly involved in a transfer-posting racket in which choice postings were ensured in return for "huge illegal gratification" which ran into lakhs of rupees for a single case, sources said.

The "expose" is bound to send ripples in the Army with some more senior officers suspected of involvement in the case, CBI sources said.
The bribe was being paid through hawala channels, the CBI FIR alleged. It has alleged that Moni entered into a criminal conspiracy with Kohli and Purshottam, an army officer posted in the engineer stores department (ESD), Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, for influencing the transfer of various officers.
Purshottam allegedly contacted army officers who were either posted in different field formations or faced imminent transfer, and were desirous of getting posted to their preferred locations.
He used to contact Kohli, who was close to senior officers in the personnel division at the army headquarters. Kohli used these contacts to pursue transfer of army officers for "huge illegal gratification", the FIR said.

Purshottam allegedly requested Kohli to pursue the posting of D S R K Reddy and Subhas in exchange for a huge bribe, it claimed. Both wanted to be shifted from Bengaluru to Secunderabad or Visakhapatnam.
Moni assured he would help get Subhas transferred with the help of senior officers at the army headuquarters against payment, it alleged.
Subhas allegedly got delivered Rs five lakh as bribe to Kohli through hawala operators.
"Kohli visited residence of Moni and conducted a meeting with some senior officers at the army headquarter in Delhi. Information also reveal that Moni is in contact with Brigadier SK Grover DDG (Personnel) of Army Headquarter for the transfer matter of Subhas," the CBI FIR stated.

The agency team, which had kept these suspects under surveillance, intercepted Kohli and recovered Rs two lakh bribe from the residence of Moni, the CBI Spokesperson said.