Senior bureaucrat, excise officials arrested for graft

NEW DELHI - A 1983 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, three excise officers and two others have been arrested on charges of corruption, fraud and criminal conspiracy, which caused a loss of Rs.340 crore to the exchequer, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said Thursday.

“O. Ravi, joint secretary (disaster management) in the ministry of home affairs, two excise inspectors - Ramesh Mahyavanshi and Vijay Halpati - and excise sub-inspector Suresh Dhodi were arrested late Wednesday after sustained interrogation,” CBI spokesperson Harsh Bhal told IANS.

“Ravi’s close confidant Rakesh Rastogi, who used to accumulate and safeguard his illegal wealth, and Ashok Khemani, director of Royal distillery, are also arrested,” he added.

The CBI Tuesday registered a case of fraud and criminal conspiracy for evasion of tax and value added tax (VAT) duties to the tune of Rs.340 crore. The accused connived with six Daman-based distilleries to sell unauthorised, under-reported liquor to the neighbouring states of Goa, Gujarat and Maharashtra, evading excise duties by preparing fake documents.

“One of the distillers was in regular touch with Ravi to utilise his services, for which he (the bureaucrat) was paid Rs.25 lakh,” he added.

The CBI has conducted searches at 36 places linked to the accused in Daman, Mumbai and New Delhi. Offices of the distilleries in Daman were also raided.

The home ministry has asked the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to suspend Ravi.