Army officer caught selling diesel sent to remand
By IANSWednesday, September 8, 2010
SHIMLA - A court here Wednesday sent an Indian Army officer, who was caught red-handed last month trying to sell the army’s diesel, to police remand.
Captain Vikalp Purohit of the General Reserve Engineer Force, a wing of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), was sent to five days police remand by District and Sessions Judge B.R. Chandel, CBI Superintendent of Police R. Upasak told IANS.
The army officer was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Tuesday after the same court declined to extend his interim anticipatory bail.
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 got interim anticipatory bail 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.
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.
