DEHRADUN: Dehradun unit of CBI filed two cases of cheating and forgery against 11 persons, including six serving officers of Indo-Tibetan Border Police – among them commandants – for allegedly causing a loss of Rs 1.8 crore to the exchequer through fraudulent means during their attachment with force’s 7th Battalion in Mirthi, Pithoragarh, from 2017 to 2021.
Allegations against the accused include fraud in construction of pickets at Indo-China border in Pithoragarh following tensions with China after the Galwan Valley clash in 2020-21, and transporting 12 power generators weighing 770kgs each “using porters”, which ITBP in its internal inquiry termed “impractical”.
TOI has copies of the two FIRs along with the ITBP complaints comprising details of allegations against the officers. One of the FIRs, registered on alleged acts of corruption from 2019 to 2021, saw CBI book seven persons, including then commandant Anupreet T Borkar, then deputy commandants Puran Ram, Deepak Gogoi, Mukesh Meena, the then inspector Anil Kumar Pandey, private contractor Madan Singh Rana, and other unidentified public servants and private persons.
The FIR alleged the ITBP officers were “involved in a series of illegal actions, primarily related to tendering process for hauling govt stores and materials to border outposts”. It said: “The accused abused their discretionary powers, manipulated tender conditions, and engaged in illegal activities that led to embezzlement of significant amounts from govt funds, causing a loss of approximately Rs 1,54,40,585”.
The other case was registered against seven persons for committing fraud between 2017 and 2019. The FIR stated that the accused officers were involved in “large-scale pilferage and fraudulent activities” which caused a significant loss to the public exchequer amounting to Rs 22,07,004.
