CBI arrests official of Union agriculture ministry in bribe case

Delhi, Jul 16 (IANS): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday said that they have arrested an officer in the Union agriculture ministry along with three private persons in a bribery case.

A Plant Protection Officer, identified as Padam Singh, in the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine & Storage Department, Ministry of Agriculture (Govt of India) at Visakhapatnam and three private persons, including a Regional Manager of Visakhapatnam-based firm have been arrested.

A senior CBI official said that apart from Singh, the other three persons are — Athi Bulli Reddiyya alias Murali, Regional Manager, Exim Logistics Pvt. Ltd, Visakhapatnam, S. Siva Rama Gupta and Myla Srikrishna Varma.

Singh was allegedly demanding and collecting huge amounts of bribes from the CHAs, Fumigators and Shipping Agents for issuing Phytosanitary Certificates for exporting the goods and Consignment Release Orders for imported consignments.

Singh allegedly demanded illegal gratification from Reddiyya for clearing pending applications and issuing favorable certificates to Customs for release of import, export consignments of agricultural commodities.

The CBI apprehended Singh and Reddiyya and recovered the bribe amount of Rs 6,000.

“Searches were conducted at the premises of accused and others, including their associates at Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Roorkee (Uttarakhand). Cash of Rs 1,29,63,450 was recovered from the premises of Singh and Rs 56,86,000 allegedly belonging to the public The servant was recovered from the premises of others. Certain incriminating documents were also recovered,” said the CBI official.

All the arrested accused will be produced before the Court of Principal Special Judge for CBI Cases, Visakhapatnam later in the day.