
DEHRADUN: A scam worth nearly Rs 1.75 crore has come to light within the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) 7th battalion, located in Mirthi, Pithoragarh. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered two cases against six officials and several contractors involved in the fraudulent activities.
Sources indicate that these officials were implicated in a scheme involving the transportation of stones for construction at border posts along the China border. "The officials arranged for stones to be transported via porters from within a one-kilometre radius of the posts, while invoices showed distances many times greater," an insider revealed.
In addition to the stone transportation scam, significant financial irregularities have also been reported in the transport of generators and other materials, amounting to millions of rupees. This misconduct comes in the wake of the 2020 clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Galwan Valley, which heightened tensions along the China border. Following this incident, the ITBP headquarters issued orders to establish new posts and repair existing ones in the border area.
The CBI has revealed in its preliminary inquiry that the construction of 380 posts was planned under the Pithoragarh Battalion along the China border. This project required the transportation of stones from considerable distances. Anuprith T. Borkar, the then Commandant of ITBP, allegedly colluded with fellow officers in this endeavour. It has been reported that over Rs 28 lakh was paid to contractor Madan Singh Rana's firm for the project.
During an investigation conducted within the battalion, it was discovered that the transportation of stones for the construction of posts was carried out by porters from within a one-kilometre radius. "While the invoices indicated movement of stones from one post to another, not a single stone was actually delivered to these locations," sources revealed.
An investigation has revealed shocking irregularities involving officials who failed to consider the challenging geographical conditions while transporting generators to various ITBP posts. Twelve generators, intended for remote high-altitude locations, weighed approximately 800 kilograms each, with two weighing around 700 kilograms. The total payment for porter services exceeded Rs 11 lakh, raising questions about the feasibility of transporting such heavy equipment by a few individuals to these elevations.
Additionally, allegations have surfaced against former Commandant Mahendra Pratap, stationed in Mirthi from 2017 to 2019, regarding a massive kerosene scam. He reportedly facilitated the unauthorized transfer of 8,000 liters of kerosene from SSB Didihat, falsely indicating its transport to Mirthi. This fraudulent operation is estimated to have caused losses of over Rs 600,000. Furthermore, the return of 4,000 litres to SSB Didihat was also misrepresented, leading to an additional Rs 500,000 scam in transportation costs.