The sleuths of the Special Investigation Bureau (SIB) of Cooperative Cell of State Police arrested a retired IAS officer, Ram Bodh Maurya, who was than director of the Mining Department, in connection with multi-crore rupees scam in the labour and Construction Co-operative Federation (lACCFED). The arrest was made here on Saturday afternoon. The team probing the matter found that Ram Bodh Maurya had collected a Rsgraft’ of Rs 50 lakh from lACCFED to give a contract out of which Rs 40 lakh was handed over to than minister of the Department, Babu Singh Kushwaha while remaining money was kept by Maurya himself. SIB who earlier also summoned the than special secretary (Mining) along with other officers in the scam will now likely to take Kushwaha on remand to grill him in the matter.
Reports said that SIB team called on Ram Bodh Maurya on Saturday afternoon and sought query that what transpired him that he overlooked all laid norms and changed the
Working Agency -UPPCl (which was given contract of laying road) and had given the contract to lACCFED. It may be mentioned here that only the Government had
power to change Working Agency. According to sources, when the former officer failed to reply to questions, SIB who had enough proof that Ram Bodh Maurya had
collected graft for the purpose had shown him arrested. Sources also confirmed that during interrogation the SIB learnt that Mining Department had released Rs 78 crore to
lACCFED for construction of 4 kilometres road in Alipura locality of Banda. What raised their doubt after which the SIB made the probe was that the Mining Department
released Rs 2.90 cr to lACCFED on February 24, 2011 and within three days i.e February 27, a work completion certificate was issued and the remaining amount was also released. SIB team claimed that they went to Alipura to make on the spot verification and were shocked to find that the entire work was just confined to documents and nothing was done at ground level.
After finding the above, the SIB had earlier summoned than special secretary (mining) Mukesh Kumar Gupta, than director of the Mining Department, Ram Bodh Maurya along with than under secretary, Amarnath and Meerajudeen, the than drawing and disbursement officer in the Mining Department. It was Meerajudeen who gave work completion certificate and the money was withdrawn by then general manager of the lACCFED, Pankaj Tripathi, who was already arrested in the above scam and was now in jail. The other suspect, Babu Singh Kushwaha, whose role earlier also surfaced, was already arrested in separate scam in the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). It may be mentioned here that three of the ministers in Mayawati government--Badshah Singh, Rangnath Mishra, Chandradeo Ram were already arrested in the above scam while involvement of over half a dozen other former ministers were already under scanner of the SIB.