BHUBANESWAR: The CBI has registered a case against Director (Finance) of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Limited Kulamani Biswal for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 5 lakh for a foreign jaunt.
The national investigation agency has also booked Director of BGR Mining and Infra Private Limited Rohit Reddy Bathina, a middle-man Prabhat Kumar and others for criminal conspiracy and other sections of Prevention of Corruption Act.
CBI sources said Biswal, who is a member of the Board of Directors of NTPC had asked Bathina to arrange US dollars equivalent to Rs 5 lakh for his abroad trip which was scheduled on Friday.
Though Bathina had agreed to the demand and was ready to pay, Biswal later wanted him to give the amount in Indian currency at New Delhi with an intention that he would convert to US dollars himself.
Accordingly, the BGR director entrusted one of his associates Kumar, who handles BGR's business at New Delhi, with the responsibility to handover the cash to Biswal.
"We had received an information that Biswal was planning a trip to abroad from Bhubaneswar with his wife and daughter on December 8 for which Bathina had arranged for the delivery of Rs 5 lakh through Hawala channels which would have eventually been delivered to Biswal at his residence in Asian Games Village Complex, New Delhi," said a CBI official.
BGR Mining is part of a consortium with NCC Limited (formerly Nagarjuna Construction Co Ltd) and the group was awarded a project relating to mine development and operation of Talaipalli coal block in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district by NTPC.
"Biswal, who is a government employee, has attempted to obtain valuables from Bathina with whom he has been dealing business transacted between NTPC and BGR Mining while Bathina and Kumar have conspired and abetted the act of Biswal. The act of the trio discloses prima facie commission of criminal offenses under sections 11 and 12 the PC Act and 120-B of IPC," the officer added.