PATNA: The Bihar government on Saturday suspended two senior IAS officers in connection with a tender scam, allegedly orchestrated by a high-profile contractor, Rishu Ranjan Sinha alias Rishu Shree.
The suspended officers are 2017-batch IAS officer Yogesh Kumar Sagar and 2014-batch IAS officer Abhilasha Kumari Sharma. They are facing allegations of money laundering.
Special Vigilance Unit (SVU) had arrested Rishu Shree in connection with a tender fraud and money laundering case on May 28. Both suspended IAS officers have been accused of receiving favours from the contractor Rishu Shree.
The ED had conducted an inquiry against them and subsequently wrote to SVU to recommend further action. Rishu Shree reportedly sponsored a trip to Europe for Yogesh Kumar Sagar and eight of his relatives.
During the tour, which took place from June 22, 2024, to June 30, 2024, Yogesh and his family members visited the Austrian cities of Vienna, Salzburg, and Wolfgang. They stayed in luxury hotels, and a total of Rs 21.92 lakh was spent on air travel and accommodation. The bills of these foreign hotels, as well as other expenses, were allegedly borne by Rishu Shree.
Yogesh Kumar Sagar was posted in the state social welfare department.
Originally from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, Yogesh completed his MBBS degree in 2012 from King George's Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow.
Meanwhile, Abhilasha Sharma is currently holding the post of additional CEO and deputy secretary in the state rural development department.
According to reports, SVU officials summoned Rishu Shree on the pretext that his signature was required on certain important documents.
However, upon his arrival at the SVU office in Patna, he was detained and subjected to questioning regarding various aspects of the case.
Sources within the investigating agency claimed that as the investigation progresses, the roles of several senior administrative officials may also come under scrutiny.
The agency is attempting to ascertain the extent to which influence was exerted during the tender processes within government departments, and which officials allegedly facilitated such actions.
A case of money laundering has already been registered against Rishu Shree under PMLA.
Facing accusations of acting as an illegal middleman, he allegedly manipulated state tenders to benefit his firm and extended undue luxuries—such as financing multi-lakh foreign trips to Europe and Australia—for high-ranking Bihar IAS officers in exchange for lucrative government contracts.
The SVU's action was based on a case registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PC Act) against him.
The agency suspects that Rishu Shree colluded with several senior officials and engineers to secure benefits for his company, "Reliable Infra Services," by fixing tenders in government departments. During the search of his house, cash amounting to Rs. 2.5 lakh and jewellery worth Rs. two crore were recovered by SVU.
Rishu Shree lived in an apartment located near Mithapur in the state capital.
