Crime Branch registers FIR against officials of STL in Jammu

The Crime Branch of Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday registered an FIR against office-bearers of the Sterlite Technologies Limited (STL) here for defrauding a contractor after he allegedly refused to pay Rs 1 lakh bribe for getting clearance of laying underground network for spectrum BSNL cable in Rajouri.

The case was registered against project head of STL Suvesh Pahwa and manager Anoop Slathia and others for preparing a forged document -- an agreement dated October 6, 2016 with the intention to put complainant Mohammad Ayoub Khan, a resident of Surankote area of Poonch, to huge financial loss, a spokesperson of the Crime Branch said.

He said they sublet the said work to another contractor by way of making forged documents in violation of the agreement.

A written complaint was lodged by Khan, a contractor, in Crime Branch, Jammu, alleging that BSNL had allotted work for providing and laying of underground network for spectrum (NFS) cable in Rajouri to Messrs Sterlite Technologies, a business partner of Messr Ericsson, who further allotted the contract for an amount of Rs 60 lakh in his favour by virtue of an agreement, the spokesperson said.

He said the complainant took over the assignment to execute the allotted work but unfortunately the accused demanded an amount of Rs 1 lakh as commission for releasing payments, as the complainant had incurred approximately Rs 55 lakh for execution of work.

The accused managed cancellation of the said work order and re-allotted it to Qayoom Hussain Shah in clear violation of the rules and regulations of the company and causing huge loss to the complainant, the spokesperson said.

On receipt of the complaint, he said Crime Branch Jammu took cognizance by initiating a preliminary verification and established that the complainant was actually defrauded by the accused in violation of the agreement.

"The case has been registered and the investigation has been set in motion," the spokesperson said.