HYDERABAD: One of the prime accused in RITES (Rail India and Technical Economic Services) official bribery case — an infra company owner M Raj Kumar, a native of Dindigul in Tamil Nadu — has been on the run since the CBI booked the case on April 28. CBI had issued a Lookout Circular to all international airports to prevent him from fleeing the country. CBI had arrested RITES group General Manager K Venkateshwara Rao of Secunderabad while accepting bribe for clearing Rs11 crore works bill. Raj Kumar of Tamil Nadu-based KVR infrastructure Limited was giving bribe to Rao.
Sources in CBI said the court had rejected anticipatory bail petition filed by Raj Kumar on Wednesday.
According to FIR filed by CBI, RITES Secunderabad project office CGM (Civil) K Venkateshwara Rao indulged in corrupt practices and is actively involved in awarding contracts by collecting bribes. Raj Kumar of KVR Infra was given ₹11 crore contract works. Rao had demanded a bribe of Rs 15 lakh to clear the pending bills of Raj Kumar and the latter sent Rs 15 lakh bribe through one Shankar, the project manager of KVR Infra, for release of pending bill payments.
The trio reached Hyderabad as part of a criminal conspiracy on April 28, and Shankar handed over the money to Rao. CBI arrested Rao and Shankar in the case. However, Raj Kumar has been on the run since then. He filed an anticipatory bail plea and the same has been rejected. On April 29, CBI carried out searches at RITES official’s properties in Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Kakinada and seized documents and ₹10 lakh cash.
RITES Ltd is a government of India enterprise and multi-disciplinary consultancy organisation in field of transport, infrastructure and related technologies.
Sudhakar Reddy Udumula is the Editor (Investigation) at the Times...
Read MoreSudhakar Reddy Udumula is the Editor (Investigation) at the Times of India, Hyderabad. Following the trail of migration and drought across the rustic landscape of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Sudhakar reported extensively on government apathy, divisive politics, systemic gender discrimination, agrarian crisis and the will to survive great odds. His curiosity for peeking behind the curtain triumphed over the criminal agenda of many scamsters in the highest political and corporate circles, making way for breaking stories such as Panama Papers Scam, Telgi Stamp Paper Scam, and many others. His versatility in reporting extended to red corridors of left-wing extremism where the lives of security forces and the locals in Maoist-affected areas were key points of investigation. His knack for detail provided crucial evidence of involvement from overseas in terrorist bombings in Hyderabad.
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