Former Director General of Indian Ordnance Factory Arrested on Graft Charges

NEW DELHI: A former Director General of Ordnance Factories, Kolkata, who also served as the chairman of the Ordnance Factory Board, has been arrested by the CBI for accepting “illegal gratification” from contractors who had won supply orders from ordnance factories.

The agency has seized Rs 2 crore cash (Rs 20 Mio) from the accused, Sudipta Ghosh, and his four associates who were based in Delhi and Kolkata.

Another accused, Ramesh Nambiar, is an additional GM with Air India. It is alleged that Nambiar helped Ghosh open an account in RBS Coutts Bank in Singapore. According to CBI, Ghosh had deposited US $99,000 in this account. The CBI claimed to have seized Rs 22 lakh  (Rs 2.2 Mio) from Nambiar who also allegedly acted as a conduit between Ghosh and foreign suppliers.

Three others who have been arrested were identified as Delhi-based Ashish Bose and Kolkata-based Kanhai Lal Das and Pradeep Rana.

Ghosh was chairman, Ordnance Factory Board, Kolkata, from May 2007 to April 2009. Ghosh, a 1971 batch officer of the India Ordnance Factories Service, retired only on April 30 this year. He has also been booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly taking bribes in matters relating to transfers and postings of officials of ordnance factories.

Among other things, CBI recovered Rs 87 lakh cash from Ghosh’s house and lockers, documents showing purchase of two plots of land at Pune at the cost of Rs 9 lakh each, documents showing purchase of a flat at Harimohan Ghosh Lane, Phoolbagan, Kolkata, and NSC/KVP worth Rs 13.85 lakh in his name and in the name of his family members and in-laws.

FDRs and bank deposits worth another Rs 40 lakh and jewellery worth Rs 23 lakh were also seized. Ghosh also owned two cars.

Rs 27.5 lakh cash was also seized from Rana and Das. The two men also led CBI to another locker in the name of Ghosh and his wife which contained Rs 50 lakh cash. “Rs 47.7 lakh cash has also been seized from Delhi-based Bose. Ninety notes of US $100 denomination, 155 Pounds, 243 Euros and two FDRs of Rs 30,000 each in the name of the wives of the then DG and Bose were also found,” said a senior CBI official.

The article appeared in “The Times of India” on May 20, 2009.

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