CBI raids CSIR-NEIST in Assam's Jorhat over major financial scam, 4 arrested

In a major operation, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) carried out an extensive raid at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - North East Institute of Science and Technology (CSIR-NEIST) in Pulibor, Jorhat, uncovering a significant financial scam. The raid commenced at 3 PM on Friday and continued until the following morning, culminating in the arrest of four individuals, including two public servants, and the confiscation of several crucial documents.

The detained public servants are accused of engaging in corrupt practices, accepting illicit benefits from various private entities in return for improperly awarding contracts and facilitating procurements.

The CBI officially registered the case on July 26, implicating five public servants:

- Controller of Stores & Purchase (COSP) at CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat
- Principal Scientist at CID, CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat
- Finance and Accounts Officer (F&AO) at CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat
- Former Controller of Finance and Accounts (CoFA), now serving as CoFA at CSIR-NIScPR, New Delhi
- Senior Principal Scientist at CID, CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat

Additionally, two private individuals are involved in the case:

- A 'Director' of a private company based in New Delhi
- A resident of Jorhat, Assam

According to the FIR, the former CoFA allegedly influenced CSIR Headquarters in New Delhi to allocate approximately Rs 7 crores for CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat, intended for the purchase of equipment from the accused Director's company. The COSP and F&AO reportedly discussed their bribe shares, amounting to Rs 7 lakh and Rs 2 lakh, respectively, while the Senior Principal Scientist was also expected to receive a bribe for future work orders.

The accused Director allegedly instructed his brother to withdraw Rs 8 lakh in cash from a consultancy firm's bank account, with Rs 7 lakh earmarked as a bribe for the COSP and Rs 1 lakh for personal retention.

On July 24, the CBI executed a sting operation, catching the COSP and Principal Scientist at CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat, as they received bribes of Rs 7 lakh and Rs 1 lakh, respectively, from the Director's brother, in exchange for favoring the private company in contract awards and bill payments for a spectrophotometer and associated software.

The bribe money was recovered from the public servants, who, along with the Director's brother, were arrested in Jorhat on July 26. The Director of the private company was subsequently arrested in Guwahati on July 27.

Search operations were conducted at 18 locations, including offices, residences, and business premises across Assam, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi, leading to the seizure of incriminating documents and materials.

The four arrested individuals are being presented before the competent court in Guwahati today and will subsequently be transported to New Delhi for further legal proceedings.