CBI books ex-ECIL officials in phone interception systems purchase

New Delhi, Dec 28 : The CBI has registered a case against five former senior officers of the Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL) and a Germany-based company along with others for alleged irregularities in purchase of 12 phone interception systems worth Rs 41 crore for the country's investigation agencies.

The CBI registered the FIR on Wednesday against K. Hari Satyanarayana, V. Satyanarayana, Muddagouni Vishnu Murthy, Gadi Naga Venkata Satyanarayana and Katragadda Subba Rao -- all retired officials of the Hyderabad-based ECIL -- under charges of criminal conspiracy, criminal misconduct and using of forged documents as genuine. 

The commission of offence took place between 2004 and 2010.

Besides them, three private persons named Colonel Suresh Bhatia, a representative of ELD India and Hartron Case Communications Pvt Ltd, E. Leopold Dieck, owner of ELD Industrie Holding KG -- a German firm -- and his former executive secretary Nadine Rothweiler were also booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). 

The FIR also mentions names of four companies -- ELD Industrie Holding KG, Hartron Case Communications Ltd, Binary Network Solution Pvt Ltd and Net4 Communications Pvt Ltd. 

The CBI took the step after its investigators found that the ECIL officials were involved in the purchase of GSM Interception and Monitoring System from an unqualified supplier instead of original equipment manufacturer which resulted in wrongful loss to the ECIL and corresponding wrongful gain to the accused.

Twelve such GSM Interception and Monitoring Systems were purchased by the ECIL from ELD Industrie between 2004 and 2010 for a total cost of about Rs 41 crore, it said. 

A complaint dated September 17, 2013 was sent to the CBI by the Chief Vigilance Office of ECIL in Hyderabad regarding certain irregularities in procurement of GSM Interception and Monitoring Systems by ECIL for supplying to various government and law enforcement agencies, the CBI FIR said. 

Based on the complaint, the CBI filed a preliminary inquiry in the matter on March 10 this year and started its probe to find out the misconduct of ECIL officials.