What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday said that it has registered a case against Lakshadweep Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Mohammed Faizal, his nephew Mohammad Abdul Razik and several others in connection with the Tuna Fish export scam and carried out searches at six locations.
A CBI official here said that the agency has booked Faizal, Razik, Colombo-based SRT General Merchants Importers & Exporters, MP Anwar, then Managing Director of Lakshadweep Co-operative Marketing Federation Ltd, unknown public servants and unknown private persons.
The CBI registered a case after the agency sleuths on June 24 carried out joint surprise searches along with the vigilance officials of Lakshadweep.
The official said that the agency on Tuesday carried out searches at six places including at Andrott Island (Lakshadweep), Kerala’s Calicut and New Delhi residence of the NCP Lok Sabha MP.
The official said that during scrutiny of the documents relating to Lakshadweep Co-operative Marketing Federation (LCMF), it was allegedly found that in the year 2016-17 on a false assurance of Faizal, that a foreign buyer of a neighbouring country was willing to purchase or import Massmeen (Tuna fish) at a higher rate than the prevailing rate, LCMF procured approximately 287 MT of Massmeen (Tuna fish) from the fishermen of Lakshadweep Islands.
He said that they were given assurance of payment at higher rates of Rs 650 per kg against the prevailing rates of Rs 250 per kg.
The CBI also alleged that the procurement was done by Anwar, then MD of LCMF, without following norms and without floating any tender.
It was also alleged that Razik, a resident of Lakshadweep and also a relative of Faizal was representative of the Colombo-based SRT General Merchants Importers & Exporters.
The official said that the accused had arranged a Cochin-based Massmeen (Tuna fish) exporter and as per the arrangements, the said exporter’s company received the first consignment of 10 MT of Massmeen from LCMF for which it paid Rs 60 lakh to LCMF and exported the Massmeen (Tuna fish) to the SRT General Merchant Importers and Exporters of Colombo.
“However, the said exporter company of Cochin did not receive payment from the SRT General Merchants Importers & Exporters and thus suffered a loss of Rs 60 lakh following which it refused to lift rest of the Tuna fish from LCMF,” he said.
“The LCMF subsequently auctioned remaining Tuna fish at a rate less than the prevailing market rate, as a result of which the poor fishermen of Lakshadweep Islands and LCMF suffered losses to the tune of Rs 9 crore,” the official added.
