Officer, 4 others held in NDA scam

Arrested in CBI custody till July 12, academy shows ignorance

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against National Defence Academy (NDA) Staff Officer to the Commandant and four others for allegedly appointing ancillary staff in lieu of monetary gratification.

The CBI stated that so far they have taken five persons including the Staff Officer in custody after producing them before Special Judge, Pune Court, on Sunday. The court sent them in the agency’s custody till July 12.

The NDA said it had not received any complaints on any abnormality in the recruitment but it was inquiring into the chain of events. 

“This office (NDA) has not received any complaints from any source regarding any abnormality in the recruitment process, however the office is in the process of investigating the chain of events which led to the detainment of the officer,” an official said. The NDA was extending full cooperation to the CBI and handed over the documents sought by them Saturday, he added.

Flash raids were carried out in 14 places in Pune, Mumbai, Gurgaon and Sonepat; the searches yielded recovery of Rs 4 lakh cash from the residence of Staff Officer; Rs 82 lakh from the house of one associate; Rs 50 lakh from another private person involved in the racket; Rs 16 lakh from another; and Rs 18 lakh from another.

In a release issued here on Sunday, the investigating agency stated that the searches so far have resulted in seizure of unaccounted money amounting to Rs 1.76 crore.

According to CBI, the Staff Officer early this year in collusion with private people and some employees of NDA obtained bribe ranging from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 4 lakh from prospective candidates on ground of providing a confirmed appointment for jobs like mali (gardener,) peon, cook, cadet orderly, lab attendant, library attendant, lower division clerk, etc in the defence academy campus. Signatures of the applicants were taken on blank exam papers, which were then filled them up with correct answers to make them eligible for appointments.