Mumbai:
A serving Brigadier has been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for alleged irregularities in the purchase of consumer goods for Canteen Stores Department (CSD) in the Ministry of Defence - the second officer of the same rank and the fifth person to be picked up in the graft case.
The case is related to alleged promotion of some consumer brands for supplying to the CSD. "Brig Anuj Kainthla, the joint general manager (of CSD) has been arrested for accepting illegal gratification of Rs 7.5 lakh from a private company Sankalp Consumer Products," CBI said in a statement.
Brigadier Kainthla is the fifth person to be arrested in the scam. Two days back another joint general manager from CSD Bikas Ranjan Daschaudhary, who holds rank equivalent to a Brigadier, and Milind Govilkar of Sankalp were arrested along with two other employees of the company.
The brigadier was produced before a special court in Mumbai, which remanded him to CBI custody till July 5. The case was registered based on the information that Sankalp Consumers Products Pvt Ltd allegedly acted as a marketing arm and representative of number of companies in an unauthorised manner against the policy laid down by CSD, they said.
Sankalp, through Govilkar and officials of CSD, allegedly entered into criminal conspiracy with each other and manipulated various demands of CSD items in favour of the clients of Sankalp, sources said.
They said the company was allegedly favoured by CSD officials at various stages such as introduction of items, price revision, delayed and excess supply, demand creation, budget allocation of CSD, etc.
Such favours were allegedly extended in lieu of huge illegal gratifications to CSD officials, it was alleged. CSD operates from its Head Office at Mumbai and has depots all over India to provide consumer goods to the active duty and retired personnel of Army, Navy and Air Force.