The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested four persons here including two officials of the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO) in an alleged case of bribery, and recovered a total of Rs 2.25 crore in cash from their possession. Among 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 Anti-Corruption Bureau of the CBI here.
Besides, two Deputy Chief Controllers of Explosive working with PESO were also arrested, a senior official of the agency said. PESO is a nodal government agency for regulating safety of hazardous substances such as explosives, compressed gases and petroleum.
As per the FIR, Deshpande, working as an intermediary, conspired to get work for Kachhawaha’s 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 company’s existing license to facilitate this.
The CBI on Wednesday evening caught Deshpande and Kachhawaha at a typing shop near the PESO office on Seminary Hills here while allegedly accepting Rs 10 lakh in cash. Subsequently, the agency allegedly recovered Rs 1.25 crore from Deshpande’s residence and another Rs 90 lakh from the office of one of the accused PESO officials. The accused would be presented before a court on Thursday evening. A 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.