Purchase scandal: all unquiet in the Navy’s western front

The Flag Officer Commanding-in Chief, Vice Admiral Arun Prakash, is personally overseeing the investigations. Navy sources said that the tainted officers were suspected to have by-passed established procurement procedures to favour certain firms for illegal benefits.

Confirming the incident, the official Navy spokesman, Commander V Garg told The Indian Express that ‘‘some officers have been identified and the Navy is conducting a thorough investigation into the matter. The Navy has taken a serious view of the allegations and appropriate action will be taken after the Board of Inquiry submits its report.’’

Although Navy officials are tight-lipped on the issue, it’s learnt that the Commodore involved in the scam also served as a director in one of the logistics directorates at Naval Headquarters in Delhi. This has fuelled suspicions that some officials presently serving in Delhi could also be involved in the scam.

Senior officials at the Western Naval Command got wind of the scam when several irregularities surfaced a couple of months ago. The suspected officer was immediately put under surveillance and during this period, investigators unearthed a network of naval officials.

In the first week of June this year, the Commodore was relieved of his command, his team disbanded as the Navy conducted a series of raids in and around Mumbai.

As the Command material superintendent, the Commodore was involved in the procurement of equipment worth crores, including key components for operational ships and other naval establishments under its jurisdiction. Senior Navy officers said that depending on the findings of the inquiry, a court-martial could be also ordered subsequently.

In ‘‘extreme circumstances’’, they said, the investigation could even be turned over to the Central Bureau of Investigation.