NIPER chief, CVO booked for multi-crore scam

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 12

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked the officiating Director, Prof KK Bhutani, Registrar-cum-Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) PJP Waraich and a former Director among eight senior functionaries of the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Mohali, besides a Pune-based private firm and other unknown persons on charges of corruption, cheating, forgery, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy in a multi-crore scam. Several officials of the Union Government are also allegedly involved in the case.

Those booked include a former Director of NIPER, Prof P Rama Rao, the then Deputy Registrar, Rajesh Moza, who was officiating as the Registrar, the then Section Officer, Hardeep Singh, and Prof Saranjit Singh.

A case under Sections 120-B, 420, 409, 467 and 471 of the IPC and Section 13 (2) read with Sections 13 (1) (c) and 1 (1) (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, has been registered against them, a senior CBI officer from New Delhi told The Tribune over the phone this evening. However, no arrests have been made so far.

She said a preliminary inquiry was conducted by the Chandigarh unit of the CBI following which the case was registered against serving and former officials of NIPER.

It was alleged that the accused functionaries of NIPER entered into a criminal conspiracy with a private firm in Pune for the purchase of database “SciFinder” at exorbitant rates, causing a loss to the state exchequer.

It was alleged that the officials, along with some unknown persons and officials of the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, New Delhi, caused a loss of crores of rupees to the state exchequer by way of misappropriation of funds, falsification of accounts and diversion of funds from approved project to unapproved items.

Meanwhile, CBI sleuths conducted searches at 22 places in Chandigarh, Mohali, Bathinda, Kurukshetra, Pune, Thiruvananthapuram, New Delhi and Bhopal. The massive searches, which began at 7 am and were still under way till reports last came in, were conducted on the residential and official premises of the accused persons.

Till the time of going to the press, the CBI had confirmed the recovery of incriminating documents relating to the case, besides fixed deposit receipts (FDRs) for Rs 13 lakh, a bank balance of Rs 25 lakh and documents of properties worth Rs 50 lakh from the residence of NIPER officiating Director Bhutani. Besides, documents relating to five properties worth Rs 1.5 crore have been recovered from the residence of NIPER Registrar-cum-CVO Waraich.

“The investigation is continuing,” a CBI officer said.

Conspired for purchase of database ‘SciFinder’

The accused functionaries of NIPER entered into a criminal conspiracy with a private firm in Pune for the purchase of database “SciFinder” at exorbitant rates, causing a loss to the state exchequer.