CBI chargesheet against former SP minister

Gupta,who was arrested three months ago,is lodged in Sitapur jail. The Enforcement Directorate is also probing into his involvement in money laundering.

The chargesheet,which was filed in the special CBI court here,also names Gupta’s relative Vinay Gupta,who is absconding.

A four-time MLA from Sitapur,Gupta is a history-sheeter of Sitapur City Kotwali. His name figures in as many as 69 criminal cases,of which 11 are still pending.

These include cases of murder,attempt to murder and dacoity. Twice he was booked under the Gangster Act. Last year,he was arrested for attacking CBI investigating officer sub-inspector Uma Shanker Shukla.

The CBI has found that Gupta and his associates sold PDS foodgrains worth Rs 17 crore to four firms based at Raipur and Kolkata which,in turn,exported it to Bangladesh. CBI officials said they were investigating Gupta’s involvement in diversion of PDS foodgrains worth over Rs 90 crore.

The agency has seized documents from Gupta’s house which show that he had floated four bogus firms for this work. The money earned by selling the pilfered foodgrain was deposited in the bank accounts of these firms and later diverted to the bank accounts of Gupta and his family members,CBI sources said.

Investigation has revealed that foodgrains were transported to eastern and southern parts of the country by train and also by trucks from Sitapur. Foodgrains were released from godowns,ostensibly for PDS and other government schemes like food-for-work,on forged documents with the help of government officials who are also being investigated,an official said.

The scandal came to light when Vishwanath Chaturvedi,a social activist,filed a PIL in the Allahabad High Court in 2006,seeking an inquiry. In 2007,when the Mayawati government came to power,it ordered police investigation.

In December 2007,however,the high court transferred the investigation to the CBI. The agency is also investigating the foodgrains scam in Ballia,Lakhimpur Kheri,Lucknow,Varanasi and Gonda districts.

Earlier, a special investigation team of the UP police had submitted chargesheets in 43 cases in Sitapur.

These named only transporters and persons who supplied forged sales orders to show that the grains had been bought from the local market.