New Delhi, July 15 (Agency) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday arrested a former General Manager of Eastern Coalfields Limited in Pandaveswar area in an on-going investigation of an alleged bribery case. It was alleged that the accused, identified as Subhas Kumar Mukhopadhyay, then GM (now retired) had obtained undue advantage in the form of regular cash amount as an alleged bribe from the private person (named in FIR) and facilitated misappropriation of coal from ECL leasehold area and corresponding railway siding and thereby extended undue protection and patronage to the illegal coal syndicate being run by said private person, CBI statement stated.
A case was registered on November 27, 2020 on the allegations that the public servants of ECL including security personnel, private person and unknown officials including of CISF, Railway, and other departments entered into conspiracy during May, 2020 and onwards and in pursuance of the said conspiracy, they alleged fraudulently misappropriated coal from the coal reserve of leasehold areas under the dominion of ECL and also from the coal stock parked in the Railway sidings for sale and supply, it stated. Earlier, CBI had also conducted searches at various places including in the States of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh at the premises of accused persons. The accused will be produced before the Court at Asansol tomorrow.