CBI arrests Northern Coalfields officials along with Rs 3.85-crore cash

Srinagar, Aug 19: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday said that it arrested an official of the Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL)-a wholly owned subsidiary of Coal India Limited under the Ministry of Coal, Government of India.

The federal investigating agency said that the official, Subedar Ojha, Manager (Secretariat) & PS to CMD NCL, was arrested after a recovery of Rs 3.85 crore in cash was made from his residence during the searches conducted on 17.08.2024.

The amount, the CBI said was allegedly amassed from several contractors and officials in lieu of favours for their operations in NCL, Singrauli, read an official handout from the CBI.

The CBI said it also arrested one Ravi Shankar Singh, who the CBI said was a middleman and the proprietor of M/s Sangam Engineering, Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh and was allegedly acting as a conduit between various contractors/ businessmen and several officials of Northern Coalfields Limited even as he facilitated delivering of bribes to the NCL officials.

An associate of Ravi Shankar Singh, Diwesh Singh, was also arrested red handed while delivering Rs 5 Lakh bribe to Mr. Joy Joseph Damle, Dy SP, ACB, CBI, Jabalpur in lieu of obtaining favourable report in the matters of complaints/investigation pending against them in CBI.

Ravi Shankar Singh and his associate were acting as a middleman between the NCL (Northern Coalfields Ltd) officers and Mr. J J Damle, who has also been arrested, the CBI said.

"It was alleged that on 16.08.2024, on the instructions of Mr. Ravi Shankar Singh, Mr Ajay Verma employee of Ravi Singh had collected the aforesaid undue advantage of Rs 5 Lakh from Lt. Colonel Basant Kumar Singh (Retd), Chief Manager (Administration), NCL, Singrauli," said the CBI.

The bribe amount was allegedly sent by Subedar Ojha and on 17.08.24, Ravi Shankar Singh instructed Diwesh Singh to deliver this amount to Dy SP JJ Damle of ACB Jabalpur, read the handout.

Earlier, a regular case u/s 7, 7A, 8 of PC Act (As amended in 2018) read with Section 61(2) of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanita was registered against (i) Mr. Ravi Shankar Singh, Director of M/s Sangam Engineering, Singrauli (M.P.); (iI) Lt Colonel Basant Kumar Singh(Retd), Manager (Admin), NCL, Singrauli, (i) Mr. Subedar Ojha, Manager (Secretariat),NCL, Singrauli; (iv) Mr.
Diwesh Singh, private person (associate of Mr. Ravi Shankar Singh); (v) Mr. Joy Joseph Damle, Dy.SP, CBI, ACB, Jabalpur, other officials and unknown others, the handout said.

Searches were conducted at several places in Singrauli, Jabalpur and Noida. During searches, huge amount of cash, digital devices and several incriminating documents have been recovered, it said.