CBI recovers Rs 1.86 crore in cash from agriculture ministry official held in bribery case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday have arrested a Plant Protection Officer, Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage Department, Ministry of Agriculture (Government of India) and three other people in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, in connection with a bribery case.

The defendants are R. Padam Singh, Plant Protection Officer, Athi Bulli Reddiyya alias Murali, Regional Manager of Exim Logistics Pvt Ltd in Visakhapatnam, S. Siva Rama Gupta from Visakhapatnam, and Myla Srikrishna Varma, Owner of Quality Fumigation & Pest Control Services.

A case was registered against the Plant Protection Officer, as well as a Regional Manager of a private company with headquarters in Visakhapatnam, according to a statement released by the CBI.

“It was alleged that the Plant Protection Officer, Visakhapatnam, Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine & Storage Department, Ministry of Agriculture (Govt of India) was demanding & collecting huge amounts of bribes from the CHAs, Fumigators and Shipping Agents for issuing Phytosanitary Certificates for exporting the goods and Consignment Release Orders for imported consignments,” said the CBI statement.

“It was further alleged that the public servant demanded illegal gratification from Regional Manager of a private company based at Visakhapatnam for clearing pending application and issuing favourable certificate to Customs for release of import/export consignments of agricultural commodities.”
As per the statement, the CBI apprehended R. Padam Singh and Athi Bulli Reddiyya and recovered the bribe amount of Rs 6,000.

“Searches were conducted at the premises of accused and others including his associates at Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Roorkee (Uttarakhand). A cash of Rs. 1,29,63,450/- (approx.) was recovered from the premises of public servant and Rs. 56,86,000/- (approx.) allegedly belonging to the public servant was recovered from the premises of others. Certain incriminating documents were also recovered.”