FIR against Bengaluru firm concerning scam in MP

Bangaluru-based Antares Private Limited and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) are among the eight companies whose officers and employees face arrest following an FIR being registered against them in the Rs 3,000-crore e-tendering scam in Madhya Pradesh.

A day after registering an FIR against the directors of the private companies, unknown bureaucrats and politicians, the Madhya Pradesh state economic offences wing (EOW) on Thursday rounded up three software professionals and raided the Osmo IT Solutions, a company jointly operated by them, for allegedly hacking government portal and ‘modifying contents’.

The IP addresses of the systems that was used to breach the e-tendering software of Madhya Pradesh state electronic development corporation (MPSEDC) has been traced to the desktop and mobile phones of the company and its directors.

The FIR was lodged on the basis of preliminary evidences found in the case and findings of a probe report of the Computer Emergency Response Team, New Delhi, a statement of the Economic Offence Wing (EOW), said.

Those named in the FIR include directors of Bhopal-based IT firm Osmo IT Solutions, Antares Private Limited, Bengaluru, and officers of the Tata Consultancy Services.

Other five companies facing criminal action are Hyderabad-based GVPR Limited and Max Mantena Limited; Mumbai-based construction companies Hume Pipes Limited and JMC Limited; Baroda-based construction company Sorathi Belji Private Limited and Madhav Infra Project Limited; and Bhopal-based Osma IT Solutions Private Limited.

The individuals covered under the FIR have been booked under Sections 120-B, 420, 468, 471 of the Indian Penal Code, Section 66 of the IT Act and Sections 7 and 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. A probe is underway, read the EOW statement.

The probe began in mid-June on the orders of former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

The then chief secretary B P Singh asked the EOW to begin an investigation based on an interim report submitted by former director of MPSED, senior IAS officer Manish Rastogi, after the cancellation of 9 tenders invited last year.

Three of the 9 tenders were floated by the public health engineering (PHE) department, two each by the PWD and the water resources department, and one each by the project implementation unit (PIU) and the MP State Road Development Corporation (MPSRDC).

The total volume of these 9 tenders was around Rs 3,000 crore.

The case deals with manipulation of the e-procurement platform of the MP government though which e-tenders were allegedly tampered with and a chosen few private players benefited with tenders in their favour.