Chennai: A day after the arrest of former Principal Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME), who was earlier posted at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) for accepting Rs 50 lakh bribe, the CBI has arrested four more people in connection with the case and seized huge assets, including FDRs worth Rs 4.28 crore.
A CBI release said it arrested former ICF CME A K Kathipal last evening and further searches at his nine locations including at Chennai and Delhi led to the recovery of Rs 2.75 crore cash and about 23 kg gold.
While holding the post of CME at ICF, Kathipal was indulging in various activities in collusion with a Director of Chennai based private firm and unknown persons in the award/execution of tenders in respect of Mechanical Division of ICF, Perambur.
The accused during the period February 2019 to 31 March, 2021 (the date of his retirement) had collected bribe from the Director of private firm and others and used his services as a conduit for collecting bribe on his behalf and also as a custodian for keeping the alleged illegal gratification of Rs 5.89 crore (approx.) received by/on his behalf.
It was also alleged that on the demand of said public servant, the private person (Director of a private firm) arranged to deliver a sum of Rs 50 lakh as first instalment of the total bribe kept in her custody through another private person of a company, based at Chennai and her working partner at Delhi to the brother of the public servant in Delhi.
The former Principal Chief Mechanical Engineer was caught by CBI while demanding and accepting Rs 50 lakh as second instalment of the bribe amount from the private persons.
Four other persons have also been detained and further, searches at Delhi and Chennai led to a recovery of Rs 2.75 crore cash and 23 kg gold.
As follow up to the arrest of Mr Kathipal, the CBI arrested four more private persons–Director of the private firm; her working partner based at Delhi; brother of Kathipal, and a private person of another firm based at Chennai in connection with the bribery case.
Apart from the recoveries of Rs 2.75 crore cash and 23 kg gold bars, other investment such as FDRs worth Rs 4.28 crore related to public servant and his family members, property documents and keys of two bank lockers have also been recovered during searches.
The scrutiny of the bank accounts and other documents is in progress. All the arrested accused were produced before the Competent Court at Delhi and Chennai today for judicial remand.