Chennai, July 6 (UNI) A day after the arrest of former ICF Principal
Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME), for accepting Rs 50 lakh bribe,
the CBI today arrested four more people in connection with the case
and seized huge assets, including FDRs worth Rs 4.28 crore.
A CBI release said it arrested former ICF CME A K Kathipal last evening
and further searches at his nine locations including at Chennai and Delhi
led to the recovery of Rs 2.75 crore cash and about 23 kg gold.
While holding the post of CME at ICF, Mr Kathipal was indulging in various
activities in collusion with a Director of Chennai based private firm and
unknown persons in the award/execution of tenders in respect of Mechanical
Division of ICF, Perambur.
The accused during the period February 2019 to 31 March, 2021 (the date of
his retirement) had collected bribe from the Director of private firm and others
and used his services as a conduit for collecting bribe on his behalf and also
as a custodian for keeping the alleged illegal gratification of Rs.5.89 crore
received by/on his behalf.
It was also alleged that on the demand of said public servant, the private person
(Director of a private firm) arranged to deliver a sum of Rs. 50 lakh as the first
instalment of the total bribe kept in her custody through another private person
of a company, based at Chennai and her working partner at Delhi to the brother
of the public servant in Delhi.
The former Principal Chief Mechanical Engineer was caught by CBI while demanding
and accepting Rs.50 lakh as second instalment of the bribe amount from the private
persons.
Four other persons have also been detained and further, searches at Delhi and Chennai
led to a recovery of Rs. 2.75 crore cash and 23 kg gold.
As follow up to the arrest of Mr Kathipal, the CBI today arrested four more private persons
--Director of the private firm; her working partner based at Delhi; brother of Kathipal, and
a private person of another firm based at Chennai in connection with the bribery case.
Apart from the recoveries of Rs. 2.75 crore cash and 23 kg gold bars made yesterday, other investment such as FDRs worth Rs.4.28 crore related to public servant and his family members, property documents and keys of two bank lockers have also been recovered during searches.
The scrutiny of the bank accounts and other documents is in progress.
The four arrested were Ms. Hamsa Venugopal, Director of M/s Universal Engineers Chennai
Private Limited, Mr Om Prakash, working partner of Ms.Hamsa Venugopal, Mr Sanjay Kathpal, brother of former ICF CME Kathpal, and Khetmal Jain of M/s Salem Steel Trading Company, Chennai.
All the arrested accused were produced before the Court at Delhi and Chennai today for judicial remand.
UNI GV 1713