Supplier arrested,to be produced in court today

The alleged scam involves supplier Bimal Agarwal and two directors of his firm,Techno Trade Impex India,who have been named in the FIR filed in March. Soon after,the accused moved the Sessions Court. Special public prosecutor Raja Thackeray had sought a Rs 10 crore bank guarantee to be given to the Maharashtra Director General of Police’s office. But through their lawyer Vaibhav Bagade,the Agarwals had said that they were ready to give a Rs 6.5 crore guarantee which is equivalent to the tender amount. Both parties did not reach a consensus.

“Bimal Agarwal has been arrested,and he will be produced before a court tomorrow,” additional commissioner of police (EOW) Rajvardhan Sinha said. In his bail application,Agarwal had alleged that he was falsely implicated by some senior IPS officers.

After the 26/11 attack,the state home department had floated a tender for the supply of 82 bomb disposal suits. This tender was awarded to Agarwal’s firm. On March 31,2009,the entire payment of Rs 6.25 crore was made to the firm,even though it did not deliver a single suit. A high-level Anti-Corruption Bureau team submitted a comprehensive report on the scam and found several irregularities over the manner in which the tender was awarded to the supplier,particularly the payment made to him,despite the fact that the DGP’s office did not receive the suits.

After going through the ACB’s report,the Maharashtra Director General of Police wrote to the Mumbai Police recommending that an FIR be filed against Agarwal and others. Agarwal has alleged that IPS officers were to be blamed and that he has been framed in the case.