ED conducts raids in Bhopal, Hyderabad in M.P. e-tendering racket case
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Searched places embrace that of former State Chief Secretary.
The Enforcement Directorate has carried out searches at a number of places in Bhopal, Hyderabad and Bengaluru as a part of its cash laundering probe in the over ₹3,000-crore alleged e-tender rigging racket of Madhya Pradesh, official sources stated on Thursday.
They stated the company launched the searches to gather proof early this week at places of varied suspects concerned in the case, and the motion is being carried out beneath the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
At least 15-16 places in Bhopal, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru have been searched, together with that of the previous Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh. Searches have been underway at some locations on Thursday, the sources stated.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had filed a felony case final yr to probe the occasion the place it was alleged that the e-tender portal of the State authorities was hacked to govern tenders and seize contracts, and it was allegedly accomplished when the BJP was in energy.
A case was first filed by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Madhya Pradesh Police when the earlier Congress authorities beneath Chief Minister Kamal Nath was in energy in the State. The ED studied this FIR to file the case beneath the PMLA.
The EOW has filed circumstances in opposition to administrators and advertising and marketing representatives of seven firms, unknown officers of 5 State authorities departments and sure politicians.
They have been charged beneath IPC part 420 (dishonest), the Information Technology Act, and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The seven development firms concerned in the alleged racket have been recognized as GVPR Limited and Ms Max Maintaina (each based mostly in Hyderabad), The Hume Pipe Limited and JMC Limited (each based mostly in Mumbai), Sorathia Velji Limited and Ms Madhav Infra Projects (each based mostly in Vadodara) and Ram Kumar Narwani Limited (based mostly in Bhopal), the EOW had stated in a press release.
Some officers of Bhopal-based OSMO IT Solution, which issued ‘signature certificates’ for e-tenders, too have been charged.
Government departments, together with Jal Nigam, Lok Nirman Vibhag (Public Works Department and its Project Implementation unit), M.P. Road Development Corporation and Water Resources Development, had floated 9 tenders which have been allegedly tampered with.
Some officers of two software program corporations which developed the e-tendering portal of the M.P. Electronic Development Corporation are additionally beneath the scanner for leaking data which allowed hacking of the portal, EOW officers had stated.
The firms allegedly hacked the M.P. e-tendering portal to cite lowest charges and bag tasks value ₹3,000 crore between January and March, 2018.
These tenders have been later cancelled.