Fake CBI officer, aide duped more than 100 people

Anirudh Agarwal

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: Investigators have now learnt that Ashwini Kumar Sharma, who posed as a CBI officer, and his associate Rajesh Ranjan duped as many as 100 people, including a host of film personalities.

The duo was recently arrested after film-maker Rakesh Roshan, who paid Rs 50 lakh to the fake CBI officer and his associate after they promised to settle a civil case, approached the CBI.

The CBI is now looking for a third accused, Panipat resident Anirudh Agarwal.

In a twist, Sharma was arrestedby theCBI’s anti-corruption branchin a freshcasefiledby a businessman, Anwar Merchant, who alleged that he had demanded Rs 25 lakh to settle a dispute with Merchant’s rival by registering a case against him. Sharma has been remanded in CBI custody for eight days.

“We arelooking for Agarwalwhousedtoinvest the money earned by Sharma and Ranjan. He is absconding and anyone who gives information about his whereabouts will be given a rewardof Rs50,000,”saidRishiRaj Singh,joint director of the CBI in Mumbai. Total assets of the two accused are over Rs 25 crore.

“Agarwal, a college drop out, is Sharma’s schoolfriend,” a CBIofficer said.“Agarwalwas hand-in-glove with Sharma and Ranjan and they have been carrying out their activities since 2006.” The CBI may request the court to auction the seized property and return the victims’ money.“We are probing if someof CBIofficers were involved in the fraud,” said Singh.

The Times of India, September 10, 2011

Fake CBI officer takes 50L from filmmaker, held

Ashwini Kumar Sharma and his associate Rajesh Ranjan

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: Filmmaker Rakesh Roshan had paid Rs 50 lakh to a fake CBI officer and his associate after they promised to settle a civil case, probe revealed. Ashwini Kumar Sharma and his aide, Rajesh Ranjan were held last week by CBI’s Mumbai unit for posing as police officers.

“He would pose as a superintendent of police, deputy commissioner of police or deputy inspector general of the CBI and cheat businessmen, developers and film personalities. Twenty victims came to us,” said CBI joint director Rishi Raj Singh.

Singh said, “Many years ago, there was a civil case during the shooting of a Roshan movie. Sharma approached Roshan, posing as a CBI officer, and said the case was transferred to them. He took Rs 50 lakh to hush up the matter. We nabbed Sharma when Roshan approached us.”

Ranjan is an MBA while Sharma, who passed class X, runs a hosiery manufacturing firm in Panipat. Sharma would threaten film personalities and businessmen and extorted huge amounts. He would invest his “earnings” in real estate, the CBI said. The CBI seized Rs 28 lakh, fake FIRs, chargesheet papers and statements of witnesses from Sharma’s Panipat residence. Victims can contact the CBI on 022-22842816/22021524.

The Times of India, August 31, 2011

2 lakh bribe lands I-T chief in CBI net

Ramful Meena (L) and U A Pai

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: The CBI has arrested income-tax commissioner (appeal) Ramful Meena and a chartered accountant for demanding and accepting a bribe from a software engineer.

Meena, who was arrested on Friday, had demanded Rs 10
lakh from the techie to give a closure report in his favour, but finally settled for Rs 2.20 lakh.

CBI joint director Rishi Raj Singh said, “According to the techie, Meena began harassing him after he approached him in connection with his tax assessment for 2006-07.” Meena told him that he was liable to pay Rs 20 lakh, and demanded the bribe to dispose of his appeal.

I-T chief ’s 3 cellphones were in fictitious names
Mumbai: Ramful Meena, a 1987-batch IRS officer, was picked up from his official residence on Nepean Sea Road on Friday for taking a Rs 2.20 lakh bribefrom a softwareengineer. Meena and the CA who collected the money on his behalf were produced in court on Saturday, andhavebeen remanded in policecustody tillJuly 12.

CBI joint director Rishi Raj Singh said Meena insisted on the bribe despite the complainant pleading with him that he was just an employee in a firm. Finally, after negotiation, Meena asked the engineer to contactUAPai, a CAwhowould receive the money on his behalf. However, the engineer approached the CBI and lodged a complaint. He was given a phone and conversation-recording equipment and sent withthe money.

With policeofficerskeeping a close watch, the engineer met Pai at a hotel in Fort with the bribe money. Cornered, Pai reportedly created a scene,trying to push the policemen and insisting thathehad nothing todo with the money. It didn’t take long before he admitted to being party tothewrongdoing.

Pai revealed that Meena had instructed him to hand over the money to a person who would come with the I-T commissioner’s visiting card with his signature on it. “We waited for that person, and as soon as he came, we found the card signed by Meena on him,” Singhsaid.

According to CBI sources, the man who had come with Meena’s card has collected money on his behalf on three other occasionstoo.

Meanwhile, when the CBI team reached Meena’s residence, he got suspicious and tried to throw his mobile out. It islearntthatMeena usedtouse the mobile to talk to his contacts. The I-T chief was also found to be in possession of three morecellphones, allin fictitious names and belonging to other telecom circles. It is suspectedthey toowerebeing used for illegal transactions. The CBI is scrutinizing Meena’s call records and looking into a bank locker in Jaipur belonging to him. It has come to light that Meena has a house each in Delhi and Dausa (Rajasthan) and a plot in Jaipur. Searches are on at Pai’s residence and two offices. Incriminating documents have reportedly been seized.

Asked about several income tax officials being caught for taking bribesbutbeing reinstated after getting bail, Singh said, “When we receive complaints, we take action. Our job is to act on complaints and submitour reportstothecourt.”

The Times of India, July 10, 2011

CBI unearths 480-crore jewellery export scam

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday unearthed a major scam related to the export of gold jewellery through MSTC Ltd. Officials brazenly flouted rules, resulting in a loss of Rs 480 crore to the corporation. A similar scam, involving the State Trading Corporation (STC), is also being investigated by the CBI. The STC scam is to the tune of Rs 370 crore.

In 2008-2009, six firms —Ushama Jewellers and Packing Exports, Space Mercantile, KA Malle Pharmaceutical, Joshi Bullion and Gems Jewellery, Bond Gems and Indo Bonito Multinational—exported gold jewellery worth Rs 600 crore to various buyers in the UAE. The payment was due in US dollars and remitted in 170 days from the date of the acceptance of the documents. “No proceeds from the exports were received beyond the deadline,” said joint director of CBI, Rishi Raj Singh. He said that the buyers and exporters were the same and the remittance was routed back to the country through hawala channels.

As per the agreement between MSTC and the firms, the former gave advances worth 80% of the value of the goods. The advance was to be returned after the 170-day deadline. MSTC stands to gain 1% as commission. In the case of the STC, it pays the exporter upfront up to 90% of the proceeds that were to come from the buyer. The Exim Bank, in turn, loans the amount to the STC.

TOI had reported how the STC was yet to receive payments from the exporters. Superintendent of police Abhin Modak said they were investigating the role of officials from the both the corporations. “No letter of credit was opened with the importers that could have protected the MSTC’s interest,” he said.

A case has been registered against private persons, including Shishir Dharkar, who is the chairman of Pen Cooperative Urban Bank (erstwhile owner of Space Mercantile), his wife Gulraihna Oomer, its two directors, Jayesh Desai of Bond Gems and Vinod Motwani of Indo Bonito. The CBI also raided 15 places in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Kolkota, the head office of MSTC.

The Times of India, October 30, 2010

Paper leak case: Naval commander arrested

IN DOCK: Arrested naval commander R C Saini (52) was the chairman of a four-member naval committee constituted to oversee the exam

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday arrested a 52-yearold naval commander, attached to INS Angre, for his alleged role in an examination paper leak case. The Navy had, on September 25, conducted examinations for 175 posts of lower division clerks, but the paper was allegedly leaked to over a hundred candidates a day in advance.

The arrested commander, identified as R C Saini, resides at Navy Nagar in Colaba. TOI was the first to report that a naval commander was under CBI scanner for his alleged involvement in the case.

Saini was produced before the special CBI court on Wednesday and remanded in CBI custody till October 13.

The CBI had last week arrested four persons: R C Naik and D S Murthy, both administrative officers of the Western and Eastern Naval Command, Ranbir Singh Rawat, ex-Navy sailor and owner of defence recruitment agency Manasa International, and Haryana-based teacher Hoshiar Singh Rawat. The papers were printed at Atharva Printing Press in Pune. On Wednesday, the court also extended the cusody of the arrested four till October 8.

“Naik had asked for a copy of the question paper for his relative who was appearing for the exam. Saini allegedly provided a copy of the question paper to Naik. This copy was later used to dictate correct answers to nearly 138 candidates,” said Pravin Salunke, deputy inspector-general of police, CBI.

The Times of India, October 7, 2010

Navy paper leak: Printer dies of fear

(From left) Ranbir Singh Rawat, D S Murthy, R C Naik and Hoshiar Singh Rawat (inset) a teacher from Haryana

Mateen Hafeez | TNN

Mumbai: The fear of facing interrogation by CBI officials was so strong that it killed V S Thakur, owner of Atharva Printing Press in Pune, on Sunday. Fifty-three-year-old Thakur, a co-accused in the Indian Navy’s lower division clerk (LDC) paper leak case, suffered a massive heart attack 100 metres away from his office where the CBI sleuths were waiting for him.

The all-India exam to fill 175 clerks’ posts at the Western Naval Command HQ was conducted by the Navy on Sunday although the paper had been leaked a day earlier. “It was too late to cancel the exam since it was being conducted at various centres all over the country and 35,000 people were appearing for it,’’ said a source. However, by Saturday, the CBI had arrested four persons—R C Naik and D S Murthy, administrative officers of the Western and Eastern Naval Command, Ranbir Singh Rawat, former Navy sailor and current owner of a defence recruitment agency, Manasa International, and Haryana-based teacher Hoshiar Singh Rawat.

I’m very disturbed, Thakur told his wife
The CBI had also raided United Lodge near Crawford Market in Mumbai, where 138 candidates were being dictated the question paper and the correct answers.

Chief PRO (defence) Captain Manohar Nambiar clarified that the arrested persons were not
naval personnel but defence civilian officers posted at the Western and Eastern Naval Command.

While questioning the accused on Saturday, the CBI learnt that the exam paper had been leaked from Atharva Printing Press, and on Sunday a team went to Sinhgarh Road in Pune where the press was located. “Since it was shut, we called up Thakur and asked him to come there,’’ said a CB officer, adding that Thakur informed his wife and relatives, and requested them to be there during the inquiry.

“Thakur’s wife and relatives came to the press much before he reached,’’ continued the officer. “After half an hour, Thakur called up his wife, asking her to come and meet him. He told her he was disturbed and wanted to talk to her first. Our team members also followed so that he could not escape. However, when they reached there, they saw that Thakur was suffering from chest pain. His relatives rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9.30 pm.’’

Sources said that Naik had leaked the question paper, for which candidates were charged between Rs 15,000 and Rs 50,000. Naik was one of the members on the Navy’s recruitment committee. “He went to the printing press, where he copied the question paper on a pen drive,’’ said an official. “He then handed it over to his colleague, Murthy, who took print-outs.’’

Ranbir Singh Rawat, the kingpin, has over 15 placement agencies all over the country. “During a raid at Rawat’s house in Vishakhapatnam, we recovered Rs 17 lakh. In another raid at his Manasa International, the CBI recovered Rs 3 lakh. Besides this, more than 50 passports belonging to job-seeking candidates were recovered,’’ said deputy IG P Salunke.

The CBI also raided Murthy’s house and found a question paper in his laptop. “This question paper was of another examination that was conducted on August 20 this year for clerical posts in the Navy. Another question paper found in the laptop was identical to the question paper that was issued for Sunday’s exam,’’ added Salunke.

The CBI has found that Atharva Consultancy, a computer company, is also owned by Rawat.

The Times of India, September, 28, 2010

Navy officers in dock for exam paper leak

IN BLACK & WHITE: CBI’s joint director, Mumbai-I zone, Rishi Raj Singh, displays the leaked navy recruitment exam’s question papers in Mumbai on Sunday

Mateen Hafiz & Rahul Tripathi | TNN

Mumbai/New Delhi: The CBI on Sunday arrested four persons in Mumbai, including two administration officers of the Indian Navy, in connection with an exam paper leak. Question papers for the lower division clerk exam were leaked on Saturday by the accused who charged between Rs 15,000 and Rs 50,000 from around 138 candidates to share the questions with them.

The exam was conducted at various places across the country on Sunday and 35,000 candidates appeared for it. Several bank accounts have been seized and sleuths suspect it to be a bigger employment racket.

Those arrested were identified as R C Naik, D S Murthy, both administration officers in Western and Eastern Naval Commands respectively, Ranbir Singh Rawat, owner of Manasa International defence recruitment agency in Andhra Pradesh’s Vishakapatnam, and a Haryana-based teacher, Hoshiar Singh Rawat. Ranbir Rawat is a former sailor in the Indian Navy. All the four accused will be produced in court on Monday.

CBI says leak risk to nat’l security
Rishi Raj Singh, joint director (Mumbai-I zone), said the CBI got a tipoff about some candidates coming to United lodge near Crawford Market in south Mumbai where the accused were to provide them information about the question papers. Singh added that the accused had leaked the question paper to 138 candidates who appeared for the exam at Navy Nagar Centre in Mumbai on Sunday.

The accused had taken between Rs 15,000 and Rs 50,000 from various candidates who had come from different parts of the country. The exam was held to fill up 175 posts of clerks at Western Naval Command headquarters. “This is a serious offence. These people put Indian security at stake and tried to ensure that unqualified candidates get the jobs,’’ said Singh.

CBI is also probing if more defence officials were involved in the racket. “We had a tip-off that Naik, the prime accused, had leaked the question paper with the help of a pen drive and handed it over to his colleague Murthy who in return took out a number of printed copies of the question paper at Pune,’’ said Singh. The copies were then handed over to Ranbir Rawat who operates over 15 placement agencies all over the country, the CBI said.

During a raid, CBI officials recovered printed question papers from the possession of Hoshiar Singh along with many handwritten copies of the questions. CBI also seized Rs 1.85 lakh and several bank deposit receipts from the accused. The police also seized handwritten receipts acknowledging payments made by the candidates to the accused persons and touts. “We have seized a register in which it was mentioned which candidate had given how much and who is yet to pay,’’ Singh said.

The CBI suspect Ranbir Rawat to be the kingpin of the scam. During another raid at a hotel in Colaba where Rambir Rawat was staying along with Murthy, printed copies of the question paper were recovered. On Sunday, CBI obtained a copy of the question paper from Navy Nagar exam centre from the chairman of the board conducting the exam and found that the questions matched those in the papers recovered from the accused.

The Times of India, September 27, 2010