Indian Defence Estates Service officer arrest: A senior Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES) officer has been the target of a search and case by the Mumbai branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over allegations of misconduct while he was the CEO of the Cantonment Board in Deolali, Nashik.
CBI sources state that the probe was started as a result of a complaint filed by a vigilance official from the Defence Ministry. The complaint stated that the officer had bought six land plots in Nashik in 2021 under his parents’ names for a total of about ₹54 lakh. These plots were part of a private land developer’s layout plan that the officer had approved only a few weeks earlier.
According to the sources, the complaint also claimed that the officer’s parents later gave their wife special power of attorney over the six properties.
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Based on a written complaint dated May 3 from the Deputy Secretary (Vigilance) of the Defence Ministry in New Delhi, the CBI filed a case against the IDES officer last Thursday.
According to Hindustan Times, the complaint and accompanying documents stated that in 2021, while holding the position of CEO/Member Secretary of the Cantonment Board, Deolali, Nashik, the accused officer, an IDES officer from the 2012 batch, allegedly approved a layout plan in Bhagur, Deolali, owned by a land developer based in Nashik.
The approval was given on August 2, 2021, and on August 11, 2021, the Cantonment Board sent a letter expressing its approval. Due to a transfer to Bangalore, the accused officer gave up his position as CEO of the Cantonment Board, Deolali, one week later, on August 18, 2021.
“Immediately thereafter, six plots of land, each costing ₹9 lakh, which are within the boundary of the Cantonment Board, Deolali, were allegedly purchased in the name of the parents of the accused officer,” according to a CBI source. On August 2, 2021, the accused officer, acting in his capacity as CEO of the Deolali Cantonment Board, approved a layout plan that included these six plots.
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The source further stated that in June 2018, the accused officer supposedly used a certificate to declare his parents as dependents without a source of income.
“Further, the Special Power of Attorney, dated September 16, 2021, in respect of these six properties was given by the officer’s parents in the name of his wife,” the source continued.
The source attested to the fact that the allegations made in the complaint revealed offences that are presently being looked into. Additionally, a search was carried out on the case.
According to the source, the CBI had already received permission from the Defense Ministry to look into the claimed irregularities.
