Rs 21 lakh cash seized from KK Resorts, owner’s house
*Navin Ch’s wife paid Rs 28 lakh a year by 2 firms
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 6: The Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) today conducted raids at 16 locations in Jammu, Srinagar, Delhi, Mumbai and Patna, mostly those associated with IAS officer and former Principal Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir Navin Choudhary, in connection with Rs 2200 crore scam in allotment of civil works of Kiru hydro electric power project to a private company in 2019.
The CBI recovered over Rs 21 lakh cash during the raids besides sensitive documents, electronic gadgetries etc. The investigating agency detected that several shell companies had been floated in New Delhi by one Amrendra Kumar Singh, whose flats were also raided today, and Anita Choudhary wife of Navin Choudhary had taken Rs 28 lakh per year from KK Resorts as well as the shell company for rendering accountancy work though she had no such experience, official sources told the Excelsior.
The persons, whose premises were searched in Jammu today, include KK Resorts at Talab Tillo Bohri, owned by Vijay Gupta, one of the prime middleman engaged by Navin Choudhary, Vijay Gupta’s residence 62/2 Trikuta Nagar, Vijay Gupta’s nephew, Ricky Gupta son of Dharampal Gupta at 7 D/C Gandhi Nagar, Rakesh Kumar Gupta, Chartered Accountant putting up at 109-B AD Gandhi Nagar and Ritesh Gupta son of Pradeep Gupta R/o H No. 318 Lane No. 11 at Talab Tillo Bohri.
Two locations searched in Srinagar include Shahid Ahmad Kamili, another middleman, a resident of Building No. 439 D-1/4, Government Colony at Bemina, Srinagar and SIDCO Industrial Estate at Rangreth Srinagar, owned by Kamili.
The CBI has recovered Rs 11,12,285 worth cash from KK Resorts owned by Vijay Gupta at Talab Tillo Bohri and about Rs 10 lakh from his house. He has been asked to explain sources of the money kept in cash at the resort and residence. During preliminary queries, he didn’t give satisfactory reply to the agency.
The CBI also conducted searches at the premises of Rupen Patel, Chairman and Managing Director of Patel Engineering Limited at Santa Cruz in Mumbai, Vaibhav Patel, Director Patel Engineering at Juhu, Mumbai, James Kurian at Gorvandhar, Mumbai and Amrendra Kumar Singh in New Delhi. All premises raided in New Delhi belonged to Amrendra while locations searched in Mumbai were concerns of Patel Engineering Limited. In Bihar, house of a middleman at Majolia in Darbanga was searched by the agency.
Sources said during investigations it was revealed that Navin Choudhary’s wife Anita Choudhary had also received nearly Rs 28 lakh salary a year at KK Resorts and a shell firm floated by Amarendra Singh in New Delhi for four to five years. She was shown working as Accountant for the twin firms though she had no such experiences.
“This income is also under investigation,” sources in the Agency said.
Raids concluded this evening but no one was arrested. However, the Agency sources said, the middlemen and other persons whose premises were searched today, will be called for questioning later to explain their role in the scam.
In its FIR pertaining to the alleged malpractices in awarding contract for civil works package of Kiru hydroelectric power project, the CBI said guidelines related to e-tendering were not followed.
The CBI had also conducted a round of searches after the registration of the FIR.
“The case was registered on allegations of malpractices in award of the contract worth Rs 2,200 crore (approximately) of civil works of Kiru Hydro Electric Power Project(HEP) to a private company in the year 2019,” sources said.
The agency has booked Navin Kumar Choudhary, M S Babu, former MD, M K Mittal and Arun Kumar Mishra, former Directors and Patel Engineering Ltd.
“Though a decision was taken in 47th Board meeting of CVPPPL (Chenab Valley Power Projects (P) Ltd) for re-tender through e-tendering with reverse auction after cancellation of ongoing tendering process, same was not implemented (as per decision taken in 48th board meeting) and tender was finally awarded to Patel Engineering Ltd,” the FIR has alleged.
Officials said the search operations were spread across two places in Srinagar, five in Jammu, five in Delhi, three in Mumbai and one in Patna at the premises of middlemen and associates involved in the project.
In its three-month probe, the CBI has detected some financial transactions between the accused public servants, including the then Chairman of the Chenab Valley Power Projects (P) Ltd Navin Kumar Choudhary, an IAS officer in the rank of Principal Secretary in Jammu and Kashmir who was recently transferred to Mizoram, and middlemen, leading to fresh round of searches.
“During investigation, evidences were found revealing the alleged role of middlemen, including the then chairman, and financial transactions between these middlemen and public servants, and accordingly, searches are being conducted at 16 locations,” sources said.
Satyapal Malik, who was the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir between August 23, 2018 and October 30, 2019 had claimed he was offered a Rs 300-crore bribe for clearing two files.
“After going to Kashmir, two files came to me (for clearance), one belonging to Ambani and another to an RSS-affiliated man who was a Minister in the previous Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP-BJP coalition Government and claimed to be very close to the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi),” Malik had said.
“I was informed by Secretaries in both the departments that there is a scandal and I accordingly cancelled both the deals. The Secretaries told me that ‘you will get Rs 150 crore each for clearing the files’ but I told them that I have come with five kurta-pyjamas and will leave with that only,” Malik had told a gathering at an event at Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan in October last year.
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