Captain, caught selling army’s diesel, dodges CBI

SHIMLA - An Indian Army officer who was allegedly caught selling diesel from the army’s stocks in the market in Himachal Pradesh has failed to turn up for questioning, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) official said here Monday.

“We summoned Captain Vikalp Purohit to our Shimla office Sunday but he didn’t turn up for examination,” CBI Superintendent of Police R. Upasak told IANS.

Captain Purohit of the General Reserve Engineering Force, a wing of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), was posted at Koksar in Lahaul and Spiti district and was Friday caught by a team of CBI sleuths who posed as decoy customers.

The diesel was meant for the BRO’s Project Deepak, which maintains a 222-km stretch between Manali and Sarchu, part of the 475-km Manali-Leh National Highway-21.

“We are awaiting his arrival and if he fails to join the investigation, legal action would be initiated against him,” he added.

Upasak said the accused was trapped by two decoy customers, who projected themselves as contractors of the public works department. They entered into negotiations with the accused regarding bulk purchase of fuel. They also bargained the price and later caught him.

The CBI team is on lookout for army officials who are allegedly selling in the open market diesel meant for the forces.

Another CBI official investigating the case said all records of diesel supplies and consumption by the BRO have been sought for verification.

“Only after going through inventory records, we will be able to comment on how large the racket is or involvement of any other official,” he added.

A. Chattopadhya, joint director (Personnel), Project Deepak, told IANS: “We have informed the higher authorities about the incident.”

However, the CBI has so far not registered any case against Captain Purohit.