4 Navy Officers Submitted Fake Bills Worth Rs 6.76 Crore, Says CBI

Four Indian Navy officers of the Western Naval Command, including a Captain, and 14 others have been booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation for allegedly submitting fake and forged contingent bills which resulted in a loss of Rs 6.76 crore of public money.

"The accused public servants of western Naval Command and Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (Navy), Mumbai connived and conspired with Private accused persons and companies to cheat Western Naval Authorities by submitting fake and forged contingent bills," the CBI said in its First Information Report.

The CBI said Captain Atul Kulkarni actively connived with Commander Mandar Godbole and RP Sharma to generate these seven fake bills in the system in 2016.

"All these accused naval officers abused their official position to defraud the naval authorities and rob the exchequer of public money which led to pecuniary gain to themselves," alleged the central agency.

"Preliminary probe has revealed that none of the items or services mentioned in the bills were supplied to HQ Western Naval Command. No documents pertaining to processing of bills, approvals, financial sanction, purchase orders are available at the HQ, WNC. This shows all these are fake and forged bills," sources in CBI told NDTV.

The FIR copy accessed by NDTV shows that two bills in the name of Star Network were raised on March 23, 2016 worth Rs 1.91 crore and around 2.93 crore in the name of ACME Networks.

Five officials of Principal Controller of Defence Accounts, Navy, Mumbai have also been named as accused by the central agency for their role in auditing and passing the said bills for payments.

"Agency has conducted raids at the premises of the accused and recovered incriminating materials from the premises. Further investigation continuing," sources in the agency told NDTV.