JOIN USCBI to make key arrests in Tatra case
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), probing alleged irregularities in the supply of all-terrain Tatra trucks to the Indian Army is likely to make significant arrests as the agency has gathered crucial evidences.
Sources in country’s premiere investigating agency informed that during investigation, the premier investigating agency has gathered “some crucial” evidences indicating the alleged involvement of some senior officials of the public sector undertaking BEML in the vehicle procurement scam.
The CBI will soon summon BEML Chairman VRS Natarajan, Vectra Chairman Ravinder Rishi and other former senior officials of BEML for questioning.
Natarajan and Rishi have already been questioned by the agency in connection with the case.
Both have refuted allegations of any wrong-doing in connection with the case.
During the inspection, the CBI officials found “very primitive level facilities”, the sources said.Sources said that after another round of questioning, the CBI is likely to make some significant arrests in a couple of days.
According to central probe agency sources, the trucks did “not performed well in higher altitude and despite red flags raised by Army several times, the PSU continued supplying older technology vehicles.”
According to CBI sources, the vehicles procured by Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) for its missile systems from Tatra have fared much better than those procured by the Army through the BEML.
Low performance
Tatra Sipox UK, owned by Rishi signed the truck supply deal with BEML in 1997, which was in alleged violation of defence procurement rules, which say that procurement should be done directly from original equipment manufacturer only.
The CBI said that since Tatra Sipox UK was not the original manufacturer of these trucks, the rule for defence procurements was violated.