TNN | Jun 25, 2012
NEW DELHI: The CBI busted a major recruitment scam in the prestigious National Defence Academy (NDA) and arrested six people, including a serving colonel, for allegedly receiving bribes for jobs and claimed to have recovered Rs 1.76 crore from different locations in connection with the case.
The agency raided 14 places in Pune, Mumbai, Gurgaon and Sonepat, and recovered cash which was allegedly taken by officials and their touts for recruiting subordinate staff like cooks, gardeners, library and laboratory attendants, cadet orderly and lower division clerks, officials said.
Among those arrested are Col Kulbir Singh, staff officer to NDA Commandant Lt Gen Jatinder Singh, NDA employee Ramesh Gaikwad, Bal Kishen Kanojia -- who runs a food stall in Pune, his employee Vishnu Sharma and two alleged touts Manoj Sheetal Kar and Dattatre Sheetal Kar. Col Singh, who belongs to the Guards regiment, was arrested from the Colaba military station.
All the six were produced before a CBI court in Pune which remanded them to custody till July 2.
'Jobs went for Rs 4 lakh bribe'
"The staff officer in conspiracy with the other accused obtained illegal gratification of Rs 3-4 lakh from each candidate to give them appointment for subordinate staff like cooks, gardeners, lab attendants, library attendants and cadet orderly," a CBI spokesperson said.
The accused allegedly took signatures of those who had agreed to pay the bribe on blank sheets and later filled them with correct answers through fraudulent means, he said.
CBI said while Rs 4 lakh was seized from the residence of Col Singh, another Rs 82 lakh was seized from the house of an associate of the Army officer. Rs 50 lakh was recovered from Kanojia and Rs 18 lakh from Gaikwad's residence. Rs 3 lakh and Rs 3.20 lakh were recovered from the houses of Manoj Sheetal Kar and Vishnu Sharma respectively, the CBI official said.
The agency also claimed to have seized a list of candidates' names and interview letters from the residence of Kanojia and a list of those who had paid bribe from Sharma's house. The statements of candidates will be recorded soon, the official said.
NDA had in February invited applications to appoint 40 subordinate staff.
