NEW DELHI: In a major development in the FCRA violation case involving NGOs, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested 14 people, including six public servants, on Wednesday.
The arrests came a day after CBI carried out searches at over 40 locations across the country. The agency has also recovered cash to the tune of Rs 3.21 crore.
“The CBI has arrested 14 accused including six public servants. It has recovered cash of Rs 3.21 crore, several incriminating documents, mobile phones etc. during searches at the premises of the accused at around 40 locations in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Manipur etc,” CBI spokesperson RC Joshi said.
Arrested public servants have been identified as Parmod Kumar Bhasin, Senior Accountant, Ministry of Home Affairs, who was earlier posted in FCRA Division, Alok Ranjan, Senior AO, PAO, Ministry of Home Affairs, earlier worked in FCRA Division (MHA), Raj Kumar, Accountant, FCRA, Mohammad Saheed Khan, Assistant Director, FCRA, Delhi, Mohammad Ghazanfar Ali officer of MHA, earlier posted in FCRA Division and Tushar Kanti Roy, an official of FCRA, Ministry of Home Affairs.
The private persons arrested under been identified as Pawan Kumar Sharma aka Pareek Bhai, Ramanand Pareek, a hawala operator located at Chennai, Robin Devadass, Gandhi Nagar, Chennai associated with NGO-The Social Project in Vellore DT, Ravi Shankar Ambastha, a resident of Delhi, Manoj Kumar B A, a resident of Telangana’s Secunderabad, Santosh Kumar Prasad, Director of consultancy firm Shaurya Business Solutions Private Limited having its office in New Delhi, Amita Chandra, Director of the consultancy firm Shaurya Business Solutions Private Limited and Vageesh, Chartered Accountant, working in a hospital on behalf of Ganga Orthopaedic Research & Education Foundation (GOREF), a resident of Coimbatore.
The official said that a case was registered on May 10 against 36 accused including seven public servants of the FCRA Division of MHA and NIC. The case was also registered against middlemen, and representatives of various NGOs on the allegations that some officials of the FCRA Division, in conspiracy with the promoters or representatives of different NGOs, middlemen, were indulging in corrupt activities for getting backdoor FCRA registration or renewal to NGOs illegally with an object to continue receiving donations despite not fulfilling the prescribed norms.
The official said that it was further alleged that some public servants were impersonating themselves as officers posted in the FCRA division and were indulging in said practices and obtaining bribes from NGOs for facilitating their registration or renewal of registration under FCRA and for other FCRA related works.
“During the investigation, two accused were caught while delivering and accepting the bribe amount of Rs four lakh on behalf of a Senior Accountant of MHA, New Delhi,” Joshi said.
He said that it was alleged that the delivery of bribes was done through a hawala operator and a close associate of a said public servant, at Avadi in Tamil Nadu. The arrested accused are being produced before the Competent Court.