The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) carried out searches at 25 premises as part of an investigation into a case involving 21 officials from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), including a former general manager. According to officials, the CBI alleged that these officials conspired with a contractor to defraud the government-operated BSNL.
The FIR was filed against BSNL Assam Circle officials, including a former general manager, deputy general manager, assistant general manager, and chief accounts officer in various locations such as Jorhat, Sibsagar, Guwahati, and others. Additionally, a private individual’s name is mentioned in the FIR, according to officials.
A spokesperson from the CBI stated on Friday, “It was alleged that the contractor was awarded a work order for laying National Optical Fibre Network Cable using the open trenching method at a rate of ₹90,000 per kilometer.” The spokesperson further added, “It was also alleged that later on, the contractor presented various excuses, such as a lack of right of way from the owner of private land, to convert the open trenching method to horizontal directional drilling method at ₹2.30 lakh per kilometer, despite the provision of the right of way and easement clause in the contract. This violation of the tender clause resulted in an approximate loss of ₹22 crore to BSNL.”
Following the recent registration of the FIR, the CBI carried out searches on Friday at 25 locations, including the residences and offices of the accused individuals in Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, and Haryana.
