Hyderabad: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered cases against a Hyderabad-based businessman and some Food Corporation of India (FCI) officials in Mumbai for allegedly indulging in corrupt practices in tender process and payment clearance.
The cases were registered against FCI assistant general managers (Mumbai) Srinivasa Rao Mylampalli and Navin Kumar; promoter of Aurangabad-based Laxmi & Co Jinna Srinivas Reddy, his son Jinna Snehit Reddy and their employee Umamaheswar.
According to CBI officials, Srinivas Reddy of Hyderabad is a partner in Laxmi & Co, and owns a private storage unit under the private entrepreneurs guarantee (PEG) scheme. He was assisted in his business activities by his son Snehit Reddy.
They said FCI AGMs Srinivasa Rao and Navin Kumar helped Srinivas Reddy enter into a sublease agreement to make him eligible to win an FCI contract in lieu of alleged undue advantage offered to them.
“On February 18 and March 6, Srinivas Reddy asked Navin Kumar for his help with the tender. The contractor offered to pay bribes to the FCI officials in Mumbai, including AGM Navin Kumar and GM Girish Kumar, to secure favorable outcomes in these two matters. Navin Kumar agreed to the proposal,” the CBI officials said.
“On April 21, Srinivas Reddy approached Prabhu Prem Kumar, an officer of UCO Bank in Vijayawada branch, for a bank guarantee. When he told Srinivas Reddy that the bank cannot issue BG without the award letter, he told the bank official about his plan to obtain the award letter by bribing the FCI officials,” the sources said.
Further the sources said through Navin Kumar, FCI GM Girish Kumar summoned Srinivas Reddy to the Mumbai office on April 28, where he finalised the alleged deal. Another FCI officer Srinivasa Rao Mylampalli assisted him in resolving a situation around the issue of the award letter.
Srinivas Reddy deputed his employee A. Umamaheshwar to travel to Mumbai by road to hand over Rs 20 lakh cash to the FCI officials, while Snehit Reddy reached Mumbai carrying Rs 5 lakh cash for paying FCI officers, who were involved in finalising the tender.
After getting tipped off about the bribe, the CBI officials laid the trap and arrested the FCI officials and businessman, his son and their associate.
