GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 16th Jan. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested E S Ranganathan, Director (Marketing) of GAIL, in a case of alleged bribery of over Rs 50 lakh for giving discounts to private companies buying petrochemical products marketed by the Maharatna PSU.
The CBI had unearthed the alleged bribery scam involving Ranganathan, middlemen, and businessmen and arrested five individuals on Saturday, officials said.
Search was conducted at eight locations including the office and residence of E S Ranganathan, they said.
CBI Spokesperson RC Joshi said, “Cash of Rs 1.29 crore (approx), and gold jewelry and other valuables (having app value of Rs 1.25 crore) recovered during searches from the premises of said accused (Ranganathan).”
“It is alleged that E S Ranganathan was taking bribes from prospective beneficiaries of discounts to private companies buying petrochemical products marketed by the Maharatna PSU ”, officials said.
It is further alleged that Ranganathan was “indulging into corrupt and illegal activities in criminal conspiracy” with middlemen Pawan Gaur and Rajesh Kumar who is also director of Rishab Polychem Pvt. Ltd based at Bahudargarh Road, Delhi.
Both, Rajesh Kumar and Pawan Gaur allegedly acted as E S Ranganathan’s middlemen by collecting bribes from the private companies buying petrochemical products marketed by the Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL), the FIR alleged.
“Based on information of a similar bribery exchange, the central agency’s teams had conducted a trap operation in which two middlemen Gaur and Kumar were nabbed with the bribe amount of about 10 lakh which was collected on behalf of Ranganathan”, the CBI officials alleged.
Later, Nair, Gupta and Bansal were also arrested by the CBI.
After registering a case against Ranganatha and others on Friday, the CBI had conducted several searches at about eight locations in Delhi-NCR including E S Ranganathan’s office at Bhikaji Kama Place in Delhi and his residence in Sector 62, Noida.
Besides E S Ranganathan, the CBI has also arrested middlemen Gaur and Kumar, N Ramakrishnan Nair who had allegedly collected bribes, businessmen Saurabh Gupta and his Panchkula-based company United Polymer Industries and Aditya Bansal and his company Karnal-based Bansal Agency, officials said.
“Subsequently, searches were conducted at the premises of the accused at Delhi, Noida,Gurgaon, Panchkula, Karnal etc, which led to recovery of Rs.84 lakh (approx), so far which include recovery of Rs 75 lakh from Gurgaon-based private persons. Searches are continuing at the premises of the public servant,” CBI Spokesperson RC Joshi said.
Sources informed CBI that at the direction of Rajesh Kumar, Pawan Gaur had asked E S Ranganathan for allowing some discount to the buyers on petro chemical products being marketed by GAIL in return of illegal gratification.
The FIR alleged that both Kumar and Gaur met GAIL Director E S Ranganathan at his Noida residence on December 11 last year to discuss the proposal.
Two days later Pawan Gaur informed Rajesh Kumar that the proposal of discounts is being considered in GAIL, the FIR alleged.
To obtain bribes, Pawan Kumar got in touch with other prospective beneficiaries of the discount, after the final decision was taken in GAIL on issuance of the discount order.
To discuss it further, Pawan Gaur, Rajesh Kumar and E S Ranganathan again met at a five star hotel in Delhi on December 14.
“Source has further informed that on December 17, 2021, Rajesh collected the demanded bribe amount from beneficiary private parties and delivered it to Gaur for Ranganathan. Source has further informed that on December 18, 2021, on the direction of Ranganathan, Nair…has collected the said amount of Rs. 40 Lakh from the residence of Gaur. Thereafter on December 20, 2021, Gaur pursued Ranganathan for issuance of order, on which he had told him that he would sign after returning from Mumbai,” an official stated.
Rajesh Kumar allegedly roped in two more prospective beneficiaries, Gupta and Bansal and convinced both of them to pay bribes in exchange for favorable orders, the FIR alleged.
Further, Kumar on Jan 13 told Gupta to fulfill his side commitment for issuance of discount order from GAIL and put forth alleged demand of Rs 12 lakh from E S Ranganathan, the FIR alleged
Pawan Gaur also told Gupta to arrange money at the earliest after which he allegedly paid Rs three lakh to Rajesh Kumar while remaining was to be sent through hawala route, it further said.
“…Ranganathan on the request of Pawan Gaur and Rajesh Kumar got some checks conducted in the month of November, 2021 in the premises of some authorized stockists of GAIL. However, before the said surprise check, Ranganathan had also cautioned some of his favored parties,” the FIR alleged.
The CBI has booked E S Ranganathan under IPC sections of criminal conspiracy and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, officials said.
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