CBI questions NTPC Director-Finance, others in graft case

The CBI has questioned the director (finance) of the state-run power utility NTPC Limited for over two days in connection with an alleged bribery case, the agency officials said here today.
CBI sources said Kulamani Biswal, director (finance) NTPC, was questioned at the agency headquarters here along with Umapathi Reddy, the father of another accused Rohit Reddy, Director ofBGR Mining and Infra Private Limited.
Meanwhile, arrested accused Prabhat Kumar, an alleged confidant of Reddy, has been sent to judicial custody, they said.
Biswal, Reddy and Kumar were booked by the CBI on December 7 and the agency had also carried out searches at their residences.

The agency has registered an FIR against them, accusing them of criminal conspiracy, under the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act.
The agency had attempted to arrest Biswal and Kumar at the time of alleged bribe exchange but the operation was not successful and only Kumar was arrested with the money.

Biswal is part of the Board of Directors of NTPC, the country's largest energy conglomerate.
Kumar, a confidant of Bathina, was assigned to deliver Rs 5 lakh of alleged illegal gratification to Biswal, the sources said.
The FIR registered by the agency has alleged that Biswal demanded from Bathina that he should arrange US dollars of about Rs 5 lakh to be spent by him during his trip abroad.

He was scheduled to leave for his overseas trip today.
Bathina offered to deliver the amount in Delhi or Bhubaneshwar, it alleged.
Biswal then asked Bathina to give him the cash in Indian currency in Delhi itself which he would convert to USD, the agency alleged, adding that Bathina told him that the amount would be delivered by Kumar in Delhi.
"Bathina arranged for the delivery of Rs 5 lakh in cash through hawala channels to Prabhat Kumar for further delivery to Kulamani Biswal in Delhi," it alleged.
Kumar was arrested by the agency while he was about to deliver the amount, the sources said.