CBI registers case against Army personnel in Kanpur 'cell towers on wheels' corruption case

The CBI registered a case against Brigadier Naveen Singh, Lt Col RP Ram, Col Dushyant Singh, M/s Indus Towers Ltd and an unknown person for alleged corruption in setting up of "Cell Towers on Wheels' in the Cantonment area of Kanpur.

Kanpur:The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against Army personnel in alleged 'Cell Towers on Wheels' corruption case that had come to the fore in Kanpur city of Uttar Pradesh.

The CBI registered a case against Brigadier Naveen Singh, Lt Col RP Ram, Col Dushyant Singh, M/s Indus Towers Ltd and an unknown person for alleged corruption in setting up of "Cell Towers on Wheels' in the Cantonment area of Kanpur.

Earlier this year, the CBI initiated five cases against multiple officers from the Military Engineering Services (MES), stationed in Jabalpur. These officers are under investigation for allegedly granting work contracts to certain companies, which were never carried out, yet received over Rs 16 crore in payments.

The CBI then alleged that the former Garrison Engineer (GE) approved 59 contracts for various civil, electrical, mechanical, and associated projects in defense offices and residential complexes during the financial years 2020-21 to 2022-23. These contracts were awarded to private firms, and the accused officer accepted unrealistically low bids from the contractors, which were impractical to execute. As a result, none of the contracted work was completed.

The accused officers falsified records in the measurement books, and supervisory officers approved the contractors' bills without conducting proper verification.