Maharashtra Crime: CBI Registers 11 Corruption Cases Against 16 Defence Personnel At Nashik Army Pay Office

Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered 11 separate cases against 16 persons, including auditors, account officers and clerks posted at the Artillery/Army Aviation Centre (AAC) Nashik for allegedly being involved in corrupt practices to seek undue advantage.

Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA) AAC is maintaining pay and allowances of personnel of Artillery & AAC Nashik. The entitlements of army personnel are received in the Pay & Accounts Office (P&AO).

It was further learnt that officers in the rank of Auditors and Assistant Account Officers (AAO) posted at CGDA Nashik, in connivance of unknown officers posted at Record Office of Artillery and AAC, Nashik, are taking undue advantage from the army personnel to pay money for timely disbursement of the genuine payments.

According to the CBI, a Joint Surprise Check (JSC) was conducted on 13.11.2024 at P& AO, AAC Nashik, by the team of officers of CBI ACB Mumbai, along with the officers of Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (Army), Pune in order to verify the allegation of criminal misconduct being committed by staff of said P&AO, AAC Nashik.

It was revealed during the JSC that the public servants posted at P&AO are indulging in corrupt practices. It was further revealed that they are demanding & accepting undue advantages from the army personnel to make payments for timely disbursement of the genuine payments in their bank account or the bank accounts of their known/family members/friends.

"During JSC, incriminating communications pertaining to transactions/conversations held among the suspect public servant and private persons have been found from the WhatsApp chats between suspect public servant and private persons. Scrutiny of the mobile phones of the accused public servants revealed incriminating WhatsApp chats with several persons regarding demand and acceptance of bribe for performing his official duty. The JSC has also found details of the bribery related transactions and details of the bank accounts used to receive the bribe money. It is revealed that the accused persons in connivance with others demanded and accepted undue advantages as above for performing their official duties from Army Personnel for the different official dealings.," said a CBI official.

The CBI has registered cases on charges of criminal conspiracy, bribing of public servant, taking undue advantage to influence public servant by corrupt or illegal means or by exercise of personal influence, obtaining undue advantage without consideration by public servant, abetment under the relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.