CBI arrests diesel-selling army officer

SHIMLA - The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Tuesday formally arrested an Indian Army officer who was caught red-handed last month trying to sell the army’s diesel, an official said.

Captain Vikalp Purohit of the General Reserve Engineer Force, a wing of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), was arrested after a court here declined to extend the interim anticipatory bail granted to him.

Confirming his arrest, CBI Superintendent of Police R. Upasak told IANS that Purohit would be produced in CBI’s special court here Wednesday.

Purohit, who was posted at Koksar in Lahaul and Spiti district, was caught by CBI sleuths Aug 20 trying to sell the diesel in the open market. He was granted interim anticipatory bail by District and Sessions Judge B.R. Chandel Aug 23.

The diesel that Purohit was allegedly trying to dispose of 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.

The CBI earlier summoned Purohit a number of times and grilled him. It also summoned all the fuel logbooks of the BRO for verification.

Upasak said the army officer was trapped by two decoy customers, who presented themselves as contractors of the state public works department.

They entered into negotiations with Purohit and he was ready to sell 800 litres of diesel to them.

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