Patna, Aug. 16: Racketeers with nationwide network masterminded the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) recruitment scam in Bihar and Jharkhand in 2007-08.
The probe of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has hinted this.
During the CBI investigation, it came to light that the kingpin of the racket, Mukesh Kumar, had close associations with senior officials of the central force posted in Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab and Aligarh.
Mukesh alias Kaushal, a resident of Kankerbagh locality of Patna, is currently out on bail in the case.
Investigating officer of the case (RC-01/09, lodged with the Delhi branch of the CBI) V.P.S. Mann, in a report submitted to the Patna special CBI court, said two persons — Pappu Singh Bajra alias P. Kumar and Pargat Singh — were picked up and arrested from New Delhi railway station on May 5, 2009 by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
“The two were arrested when they were on their way to hand over Rs 6 lakh to B.S. Sidhu, the commandant of the 134 battalion of the CRPF,” the investigating officer said, adding that Sidhu happened to be the presiding officer of the CRPF constable recruitment board at Begusarai at that time.
The CBI investigation also revealed that Mukesh had bribed M. Baxla, the then deputy inspector general (DIG), CRPF, Muzaffarpur, for the recruitment of some candidates.
“Mukesh used to manage examinations to ensure the selection of his candidates through senior officials of the force,” the investigation officer’s report said.
“The involvement of another commandant, Yadvinder Singh and an employee of the CRPF Dilip Kumar alias Rupa, have also come to light during the investigation,” the report said. Dilip had allegedly helped Mukesh in ministerial cadre examination in the CRPF.
The report further pointed out that Pargat Singh, a close relative of Sidhu, and Pankaj Kumar worked as conduit for Mukesh.
“Both Pargat and Pankaj, used to receive bribe on behalf of Sidhu and other CRPF officials,” the report disclosed.
During investigation, the CBI stumbled upon the documents that suggested large scale irregularities in the recruitment process at Muzaffarpur, Begusarai, Gaya and Patna in Bihar and Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh.
The former inspector general (IG) of CRPF, Pushkar Singh, DIG, CRPF, (Ranchi), T. M. Baxla, B.S. Sidhu, commandant of 134 battalion, and Yadvinder Singh, commandant of 132 battalion are among the 11 accused, who have been named in the FIR.
The CBI has recovered Rs 23 lakh in cash during raids at the office and at residential premises of Pushkar Singh. Mukesh Kumar and Pushkar Singh were taken on police remand for interrogation.
More than 600 constables were recruited in 2007-08 in the CRPF.
