BHUBANESWAR: The arrest of a group general manager of Bridge and Roof Company (India) Ltd, on alleged bribery charges by the CBI has taken a twist with the central probe agency reportedly summoning the official driver of a senior IAS officer of the state.
On December 7, CBI sleuths had caught Chanchal Mukherjee, group GM of the Bridge and Roof Company, a central PSU, near a hotel in Jayadev Vihar area of the city.
In a notice to the driver, the CBI said it appeared that the officer’s driver was acquainted with the ‘facts and circumstances’ of the case. He was directed to appear before the investigating officer (IO) at CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch in the state capital on Friday to answer certain questions, said sources.
As part of the probe, the IO requested the state government to share the details like names, addresses and mobile phone numbers of all the drivers allotted to the senior bureaucrat by the various departments assigned to him. The IO also requested the government to ask drivers of the officer to cooperate in investigation of the case, sources said.
Subsequently, CBI collected information about the said driver and summoned him as a witness under Section 179 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
Mukherjee was allegedly taking a Rs 10 lakh bribe from Santosh Moharana, director of a Bhubaneswar-based company M/s Penta A Studio Private Ltd and a middle-man identified as Debadutta Mohapatra, all of whom were apprehended from the spot.
Sources said the trio was travelling in two different cars. What caught CBI’s attention is the presence of the driver of the official vehicle allotted to the senior officer.
CBI Anti-Corruption-II in New Delhi had registered a case on December 7 and launched an investigation into the matter. Initial investigation revealed the private firm, Penta A, registered at Registrar of Companies in Cuttack, is into construction and civil engineering.
CBI had received allegations against Mukherjee of engaging in corrupt and illegal activities by awarding work orders and clearing bills in lieu of bribes. Sources said Moharana reportedly met Mukherjee at Bridge and Roof’s Bhubaneswar office on December 6 when the latter demanded `10 lakh from Moharana and promised him to adjust the amount during his future billings. allegedly receiving `10 lakh bribe.