CBI Arrests DGMS Deputy Director and Two Others in Bribe Sting Over Quarry Death
The agency says officers caught the regulator accepting Rs 2 lakh in a trap to secure a favourable inquiry report that would shield a mining company.
Overview
- The CBI says it laid a trap and arrested Deputy Director (Mining) U. Siva Sankar after recovering Rs 2 lakh that was being handed over as a bribe.
- Two others arrested were Sidda Venkata Suresh Kumar, a representative of Vasavi Granites, and A. Subhaskar Reddy, a consultant and proprietor of Lotus Enviro Mining Services.
- Investigators allege a prior payment of Rs 1 lakh was made to the DGMS officer and that the payments were meant to obtain a favourable DGMS enquiry report and meet alleged recurring 'quarterly' bribe demands.
- The CBI has registered a case, carried out searches at premises in Ongole, Kadapa and Hyderabad, and produced the three accused before the competent court in Vijayawada.
- The DGMS inquiry report decides regulatory and criminal accountability in mining accidents, so the probe could affect who is held liable for the June 25 quarry death and whether company officials face charges.