CBI Raids SAI Office In Delhi, Arrests Six Including Director on Charges of Bribery
The Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) raid was conducted after allegations of corruption against four Sports Authority of India (SAI) officials (Pic: Representative image).
The Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) conducted a raid at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) office in New Delhi on January 17, arresting four officials including its Director S K Sharma.
CBI raided SAI’s office at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium premises around five in the evening to question the four officials against whom the agency had received complaints of corruption. Besides the officials, two other persons were also taken into custody during the operation.
“There were complaints that some officials were taking bribes for approving work,” a source was quoted by news agency ANI. “The sports authority had asked the CBI to investigate the matter.”
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According to PTI, the CBI arrested SAI Director SK Sharma, Junior Accounts Officer Harinder Prasad, Supervisor Lalit Jolly and clerk VK Sharma. They also took into custody Mandeep Ahuja, a private contractor, and his employee Yunus. The allegation is that the officials were not clearing pending bills of Rs. 19 lakh, demanding a cut of 3% as bribe.
“The matter came to light over six months ago, after which the director general informed the sports minister. The director general wrote to the CBI at the minister's insistence,” the source added.
Apparently, the accused officials were responsible for procuring office stationery, electronic equipment and furniture for SAI offices across the country.
SAI Director General Neelam Kapoor responded to the raid by saying it was part of the sports body’s ongoing action to fight corruption. “There is zero tolerance for corruption in the SAI. We will support any action against corruption,” she said.
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Sports minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore posted a video on social media as reaction to the raid. “We came to know a few months ago that some officials of the sports authority were indulging in corruption,” he said in the post.
“We could have ignored the matter, but that would not have solved it. As expected from our government, we gave the case to the appropriate investigation agency,” added Rathore. “The CBI probed it for a few months before conducting a raid this evening. Some SAI officials have been arrested, and the probe is being taken to its logical conclusion.”
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