IAS officer, RAS officer arrested in Raj in bribery case

IAS officer Neeraj K Pawan and RAS officer Anil Kumar Agrawal were today arrested by Anti- Corruption Bureau of Rajasthan in connection with a bribery case worth Rs 1.5 crore.
"Pawan and Agrawal were summoned at the Bureau headquarters and arrested today after initial interrogation in a case of graft registered against them," IG ACB V K Singh told PTI.
The accused were arrested under Prevention of Corruption Act.
The ACB had on May 18 busted a nexus between senior officers, including Pawan, and a middleman in the office of National Health Mission of Medical and Health Department.
An FIR was registered on May 17 by the complainant and raids were conducted at 18 premises on May 18.

The complainant, whose identity has not been disclosed, had given over Rs 1.5 crore as bribe to the main accused, Ajeet Soni, in the last few months to get work orders worth Rs 7 crore.

Soni used to collect bribes in form of consultancy fees from firms in return of getting them tenders from the department in collaboration with the officers.
Soni used distribute the bribe among the officers, including former Additional Mission Director, National Health Mission Neeraj K Pawan, Additional Director IEC Anil Kumar Agrawal, Chief Accounts OfficerDeepa Gupta and store keeper Joji Varghese.
Soni, Gupta and Varghese were arrested on May 18 whereas Pawan was questioned for few days before the arrest.

"Soni used to influence the tender process in connivance with the officers. He became consultant to firms which work for the NRHM and helped in getting tenders allotted to them in lieu of hefty amount.Since the tenders were awarded by him, Pawan was a strong suspect," the officer said.
Singh said the ACB sleuths have recovered several important documents, files, electronic devices which have crucial details about the bribes.
Pawan, a 2003 batch IAS officer, was last posted as Commissioner in the Agriculture Department and he along with Agrawal were placed under Awaiting Posting Orders (APO) status on May 19 after the ACB's action.