With CBI digging deeper into the Railway scam, the agency is likely to register two more preliminary enquiries (PEs) and another FIR as fresh evidences tumble out about major irregularities in the appointments, transfers and postings.
On Monday, CBI seized files related to appointments, promotions, transfers and tenders of the last four years, the details of which have emerged in the phone calls intercepted by the agency in connection with bribery scandal involving former Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal’s nephew Vijay Singla and suspended Railway Board member Mahesh Kumar, agency sources said.
CBI sources said a team visited Rail Bhavan on Monday to collect the files on promotions and contracts, which have figured in over 1,000 calls intercepted by the agency during the past two months.
The sources, however, refused to give specific details of the contracts and promotions which are under scrutiny as it might adversely affect the probe. But said that if these records show any prima facie corruption or meet the claims made by the accused persons in the tapped conversation, the agency would register fresh cases in those issues as the present case relates only to the trap case pertaining to the alleged bribe of `90 lakh paid to Singla by Kumar for posting of his choice.
The sources said the agency would question the officials whose names figure in conversations between the four accused -- Singla, Kumar and middlemen Manjunath and Sandeep Goel.The agency is primarily focussing on the phone intercepts of these four as main conspiracy was allegedly hatched among them.
The agency is also likely to question Bansal and his two sons in this connection besides senior members of the Railway Board who were privy to the promotion of Mahesh Kumar from General Manager to Board member.
The agency is likely to record the statement of present Railway Board Chairman Vinay Mittal in this connection.
The case relates to reported aspirations of Kumar for his elevation as Member (Electrical) in the Railway Board for which he allegedly contacted Goel, a close associate of Bansal’s nephew Vijay Singla. Goel had allegedly demanded Rs 10 crore for it.
Kumar was in the meantime elevated from GM (West) to Member (Staff) in Railway Board, a post in which he was not apparently very interested. He then allegedly asked Goel to help him retain the additional charge of GM (West) for which the middleman demanded an additional Rs 2 crore as immediate payment.
The agency alleged as part payment Rs 90 lakh was delivered to Singla, after which it carried out searches at their premises and recovered the alleged bribe amount. CBI has so far arrested eight persons in the case.