Nagpur: Four including two PESO officials arrested by CBI in bribery case

The Central Bureau of Investigation CBI has arrested four persons in Maharashtras Nagpur including two officials of the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization PESO in an alleged case of bribery officials said reported the PTIThe CBI also recovered a total of Rs 225 crore in cash from their possession as per the PTIPESO is a nodal government agency for regulating safety of hazardous substances such as explosives compressed gases and petroleumAmong those arrested were Priyadarshan Dinkar Deshpande resident of Nagpur and Devi Singh Kachhawaha director of Super Shivshakti Chemical located in Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan as per the First Information Report registered by the AntiCorruption Bureau of the CBI according to the news agencyBesides two Deputy Chief Controllers of Explosive working with PESO were also arrested a senior official of the agency saidAs per the FIR Deshpande working as an intermediary conspired to get work for Kachhawahas firm by paying bribes to PESO officials The firm wanted to utilize its electronic detonator manufacturing capacity up to 75 per cent by March 2024 and the accused allegedly facilitated amendments to the companys existing license to facilitate this the PTI reportedThe CBI on Wednesday evening caught Deshpande and Kachhawaha at a typing shop near the PESO office on Seminary Hills in Nagpur while allegedly accepting Rs 10 lakh in cashSubsequently the agency allegedly recovered Rs 125 crore from Deshpandes residence and another Rs 90 lakh from the office of one of the accused PESO officialsThe accused would be presented before a court on Thursday eveningA case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered and further probe was on under the guidance of CBI deputy inspector general Salim Khan officials said the news agency reportedMeanwhile in an another incident three officials of Bhiwandi Nijampur Municipal Corporation BNMC in Thane district of Maharashtra were nabbed on Wednesday after one of them accepted a bribe of Rs 150 lakh allegedly to settle a property taxrelated matter an AntiCorruption Bureau ACB official saidThe trio includes a clerk in the tax department a tax assessment officer and a clerk officiating as office superintendent he said the PTI reported on ThursdayThe ACB said the trio had initially demanded Rs 205 lakh bribe from the complainant who had applied for reassessment of property tax after carrying out additional constructions They later settled to accept a bribe of Rs 150 lakhwith PTI inputs