The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday searched the premises of former Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) chairman, three top officials, and a company believed to be close to former Telecom Minister A Raja in connection with the alleged scam of Rs 535 crore in award of contracts for WiMax services.
The investigative agency has registered a case against the then chairman-cum-managing director of BSNL Kuldeep Goyal, director consumer mobility R K Agarwal, the then general manager Pradeep Narang and then DGM (strategic Planning) Anil Kumar, besides two private companies, CBI sources said.
Nine teams of officials carried out searches in Delhi, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Chennai and Kolkata.
The officials allegedly abused their position and facilitated award of Leased Service Area (LSA) contract for development of WiMax services to Starnet Communications in 2009, considered to have close links with Raja, even though it did not fulfil eligibility criteria, they said.
The eligibility conditions stipulated that the company should have a turnover of Rs 100 crore.
"It is alleged that the said company did not have the required qualification of Rs 100 crore annual turnover for the last two years," CBI said in a statement.
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There was an estimated wrongful loss of Rs 535.50 crore to BSNL, the agency said.
The agency has booked directors of Starnet Communication Rajesh Bhatt and S Manoharan in connection with the case and carried out searches at their offices in Kolkata and Chennai Another company Wellcom Communications was also searched during the operation, sources said.