DEHRADUN: The Dehradun unit of the CBI has initiated two cases of cheating and forgery against 11 individuals, comprising six active officers of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, including commandants, for allegedly inflicting a financial loss of Rs 1.8 crore to the exchequer through deceptive practices during their assignment with the force’s 7th Battalion in Mirthi, Pithoragarh, from 2017 to 2021.
The accusations against the defendants encompass fraudulent activities in the construction of pickets along the Indo-China border in Pithoragarh in light of heightened tensions with China following the Galwan Valley clash in 2020-21. Additionally, the transportation of 12 power generators, each weighing 770 kg "utilizing porters," was flagged as "impractical" in an internal inquiry conducted by the ITBP.
TOI has access to the two FIRs alongside the ITBP complaints that detail the allegations against the officers. One of the FIRs, which pertains to alleged corrupt activities from 2019 to 2021, led the CBI to charge seven individuals, including the former commandant Anupreet T Borkar, then-deputy commandants Puran Ram, Deepak Gogoi, Mukesh Meena, then-inspector Anil Kumar Pandey, private contractor Madan Singh Rana, along with other unidentified public and private individuals.
The FIR accused the ITBP officials of being "entangled in a series of illegal actions, predominantly associated with the tendering process for transporting government supplies and materials to border outposts." It stated: "The accused abused their discretionary powers, manipulated tender conditions, and engaged in unlawful activities resulting in the embezzlement of large sums from government funds, leading to a loss of approximately Rs 1,54,40,585."
The second case was filed against seven individuals for fraudulent actions that occurred between 2017 and 2019. The FIR indicated that the implicated officers participated in "extensive pilferage and fraudulent practices," which resulted in a substantial loss to the public exchequer amounting to Rs 22,07,004.
