Rs 1.86 crore seized from plant protection officer

VISAKHAPATNAM: The CBI officials on Saturday carried out searches at the office and residential premises of R Padam Singh, plant protection officer of Visakhapatnam directorate of plant protection, quarantine and storage department, ministry of agriculture, in Vizag, Kakinada, and Roorkee (Uttarakhand). The sleuths seized Rs 1.86 crore in cash besides certain incriminating documents.
It may be recalled that the anti-corruption wing of the CBI, Vizag, arrested R Padam Singh and regional manager of Exim Logistics Private Limited Athi Bulli Reddiyya alias Murali while Padam Singh accepted a bribe of 6,000 from Athi Bulli Reddiyya for clearing pending applications and for issuing favourable certificate to Customs for release of import and export consignments of agricultural commodities.The CBI officials got information that Murali would be meeting Padam Singh in his office on Friday to pay the bribe amount. Later, both were arrested.
The CBI officials said they received reliable information that Padam Singh had been demanding and collecting huge amounts of bribes from the CHAs, fumigators and shipping agents for issuing phytosanitary certificates for exporting the goods and consignment release orders for imported consignments.
Based on the information, CBI conducted searches at the residential premises of the accused persons in three places. The searches led to seizure of Rs 1,86,55,450 in cash and certain incriminating documents on Saturday.
The arrested - Padam Singh, Athi Bulli Reddiyya, S Siva Rama Gupta, and Myla Srikrishna Varma, proprietor of Quality Fumigation and Pest Control Services, Kakinada - were produced before the court on Saturday.