Army officers held for fraud

Six convicted in four graft cases

A CBI spokesperson said Colonel K K Pandey, Captain Sudhir Deopujari, Captain Suresh Hingorani and Major D K Roy under various sections of IPC and PC Act by the Special Judge, CBI, Chandigarh, for four cases of defrauding their army units.
The court also convicted Havaldar Santosh Gajanand Kulkarni, Auditor Anil Dalal, store contract section, CDA Western Command, Chandigarh, and Naresh Chadha, proprietor of an Ambala-based firm in the cases, he said.

The judgement

In the first case, Colonel Pandey has been sentenced to one-and-half year Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) with a fine of Rs 6,250 while Captain Deopujari, the then Brigade Ordnance Officer, to undergo one-and-half year RI with Rs 6,250 fine.
Chadha, proprietor of United Trading Company, was sentenced to one-and-half year RI with a fine of Rs 5000.

The case was registered against Col Pandey and others on allegations that while being posted and functioning as Officer Commanding 49 AD Regiment, 56 APO during 1990.

Bogus documents

He had entered into criminal conspiracy with Captain Deopujari and Chadha along with another firm -Swiss Batteries.

"In pursuance thereof the accused prepared bogus unit local purchase documents of four bills submitted by Naresh Chadha, contractor of the said firm, without actually supplying any material to the Army Unit 49 AD, Regiment C/o 56 APO.
He thereby defrauded the Western Command, Chandigarh to the tune of Rs 2.25 lakh," the CBI spokesperson said.

In the second case, the court sentenced Captain Hingorani, Officiating Commanding Officer Brigade Signal, 56 APO to one-and-half year RI with a fine of Rs 6,250.
  Captain Deopujari was also sentenced to undergo one-and- half year RI with fine of Rs 6,250 along with Havaldar Kulkarni and Chadha.

Fined

The accused prepared bogus unit local purchase documents of 12 bills submitted by Chadha, without actually supplying any material to the Army Unit and thereby defrauded the Western Command, Chandigarh to the tune of over Rs 5.65 lakh, he said.
In the third case, Major Kumar Roy was sentenced to one-and-half year RI with a fine of Rs 6,250 along with Captain Deopujari and Chadha, who was fined Rs 5000.
The case related to defrauding Western Command, Chandigarh, to the tune of Rs 2.1 lakh.

In the fourth, Captain Hingorani, Deopujari and Kulkarni along with Chadha and Auditor Dalal were sentenced to undergo one-and-half year Rigorous Imprisonment for defrauding the Western Command, Chandigarh, to the tune of Rs 1.62 lakh through false receipts, the CBI official said.