The recovery was made during a raid at the residence of RK Sasihar, Plant Protection Officer, Regional Quarantine Office, Kolkata.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has recovered Rs 2.15 crore in cash and jewellery worth Rs 30 lakh from the residence of a senior official of the Union Agriculture Ministry in Kolkata. The recovery was made during a raid at the residence of RK Sasihar, Plant Protection Officer, Regional Quarantine Office, Kolkata.
The agency carried out raids in connection with alleged forgery and cheating in the issuance of phyto-sanitary certificate for plant-based imports from various countries. They agency sleuths said the raids began on Saturday and continued till Monday. The searches were conducted at 24 locations in Kolkata and two in New Delhi.
The agency has filed a corruption case against RK Shashihar, Tanweer Anwer Rahman of ITT Shipping Private Limited, Sanjay Choubey of Innovation Pest and Property Management Sciences, Anurag Tulsan of Atcorp Global Private Limited, and others.
It is alleged that Sasihar in pursuance of criminal conspiracy with Rahman, Choubey, Tulshan and others abused his official position. He has been demanding and accepting undue favours to them in matters of processing and issuance of requisite clearance /release order for import /export of agri-based commodities like wheat, pulses and others in violation of departmental norms, rules and regulation, thereby causing loss to the state exchequer.
It was alleged that from June 2017 onward, a number shipments of agri-products have been imported by a cartel of importers represented by Tulshan from Russia, Ukraine,Romania, Bulgaria and other countries through Turkey as well as from countries like China, Spain France and Belgium.
As per rules, it is mandatory to declare the said commodities to be free from quarantine pest in the phyto- sanitary certificates issued by the respective authorities of the countries of origin of the agri-products. However, the consignments were declared by importers of Kolkata to be allegedly fumigated mainly in Turkey enroute to Kolkata dock, which originally did not bear the said certification. Thereafter, the certificates and supporting documents were altered and forged by Choubey on the instructions of Sasihar.
The CBI stated that as per existing quarantine rules and regulations in matter of import of shipments of agriculture based commodities from Russia, UKraine, Romania, Bulgaria and other countries through Turkey, besides other countries, the Bill of Lading, reflecting Port of Loading, is required to be supported with requisite fumigation/phyto-sanitary certificates issued by the respective country of origin.
As per the rules, in any other case where fumigation/phyto-sanitary is issued at any other loading point in some other country enroute to India, the said export would be deemed as re-exported shipment and would be subjected to levying five times penalty consequent upon arrival at the port of discharge in India, in addition to paying fumigation charges for the consignment.
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