Odisha: CBI arrests Paradip Port official, three others in bribery case

BHUBANESWAR: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday arrested Paradip Port Authority’s chief mechanical engineer Saroj Das and three others, including a senior executive of a stevedoring company in connection with an alleged bribery case.
Das allegedly took Rs 25 lakh bribe from Orissa Stevedores Limited (OSL), a private cargo handling company, to give undue financial benefits to them.
OSL is owned by leading industrialist Mahimananda Mishra, whose house and office were raided by the CBI on Thursday.
The other three arrested accused were identified as Sumanta Rout (a conduit), Sankha Subhra Mitra (manager, port operations of KCT Group) and Surya Narayan Sahoo (DGM, operations of OSL).
A case has also been registered against the OSL company, Debapriya Mohanty of KCT Group, Charchit Mishra, director of OSL and other unknown persons. Charchit, one of those booked in the case, is Mahimananda’s youngest son.
His eldest son Chandan was quizzed at the CBI office in Bhubaneswar till Thursday late night whereas Mahimananda himself appeared before the agency for questioning on Friday.
“A case was registered against Das and others including private persons, a private company and unknown others. Das was in the habit of demanding and accepting bribes through his close conduit (Sumanta Rout) for extending undue benefits to various private stakeholders engaged in the port service and activities,” a CBI officer said.
While unloading cargo, the OSL allegedly damaged the conveyor belt that was operational in the Paradip port. The cost of repairing and replacement of the conveyor belt was very expensive.
“Das in conspiracy with his conduit and director of OSL (Charchit Mishra), got it repaired at the cost of the Port Trust causing huge monetary advantage to the OSL. In turn, the middleman allegedly demanded Rs 60 lakh as bribe on behalf of the chief mechanical engineer,” the officer said.
Rout allegedly collected Rs 25 lakh bribe from the OSL in Cuttack. He handed over Rs 10 lakh to a Bhubaneswar-based real estate developer, with whom Das had allegedly booked a property.
The CBI intercepted Rout in Paradip on Thursday and recovered Rs 5 lakh from him. Later, Rs 18.30 lakh more was recovered from him during search operation. The CBI sleuths further recovered about Rs 20.25 lakh, jewellery, documents related to investment and other incriminating documents from the residence of Das.
Search at the residence of Charchit Mishra led to recovery of Rs 41 lakh more.
“In total, we have recovered about Rs 84.5 lakh. More arrests are likely in the case,” the officer said.