CBI launches nationwide anti-corruption drive

New Delhi, June 11: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday launched a “countrywide campaign to curb corruption”, conducted searches across the country and registered 67 cases, an official said. The premier investigating agency registered 67 cases against officials of government departments, including the Income Tax Department, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Doordarshan and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

“CBI has unleashed a countrywide campaign to curb corruption. In this operation, searches are continuing in several places and a total of 67 cases have been registered so far,” CBI spokesman Harsh Bhal told reporters here.

“We (will) try to conduct such raids every quarter to check and curb corruption. It has been also decided that a countrywide SMS campaign will be unleashed for a fortnight from now to elicit detailed information about these cases and to seek information on fresh cases,” Bhal said.

Bhal said during the drive in Delhi, Special Crime Zone registered eight cases related to forgery as employees of different government and public sector units had secured jobs on the basis of forged Scheduled Tribe certificates.

“Departments covered were, Income Tax, Doordarshan, Delhi Jal Board, CISF and Oriental Insurance Company Ltd etc. Searches were conducted at the official and residential premises of the officials. Some incriminating documents were also seized,” he said.

The spokesman said Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) conducted searches at 12 places in Delhi and registered cases against three junior engineers, D.S. Sharma, Pramood Sharma and Shyamlal Singh and two retired superintendent engineers, D.C Jain and A.K. Sharma of DDA for allegedly duping the civic agency of Rs.10 million in 2003.

Six bank lockers were found in possession of the accused public servants. So far one locker has been searched from which Rs. 972,000, 10 gold biscuits, 29 gold coins, and 810 grams of gold jewellery have been recovered. The cash available in the bank accounts was around Rs. 6 million, the spokesman said.

According to the investigating agency, the consolidated all India position till Wednesday evening was: Total 67 cases that included anti corruption, economic offences’, bank security and fraud and special crime cases. (IANS)