CBI raid in Siliguri: MES officer and contractor arrested in bribery case

Siliguri: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) carried out a raid in Siliguri on Thursday in connection with a bribery case linked to online quotations for Army-related work. The operation, which began on Thursday evening, continued throughout the night and culminated in the arrest of two individuals, including a government official and a contractor.

According to sources, the CBI has arrested Mithilesh Kumar, an accounts officer with the Military Engineer Services (MES) stationed in Sikkim and Asim Kundu, a businessman from Hakimpara, Ward 15 in Siliguri. The two are accused of being involved in a bribery scheme related to work allocation through the Government E-Commerce Marketplace (GeM). Reports suggest that Asim Kundu, who undertakes work for MES in Kalimpong, had submitted quotations for government contracts via the GeM portal. Mithilesh Kumar is alleged to have accepted a bribe to ensure that the contract was awarded to Kundu. Acting on intelligence gathered over the past several months, the CBI laid a trap to catch the accused red-handed during a monetary transaction.

The sting operation began on Thursday afternoon when the CBI apprehended Mithilesh Kumar on Burdwan Road while he was allegedly accepting the bribe. Following his arrest, investigators used the information obtained to raid the residence of Asim Kundu. The raid, which lasted over ten hours, continued through the night. Officials seized several documents and electronic devices from Kundu’s house, bringing in printers and other equipment to aid the search.

Both of them have been sent to Sikkim by the officials.

Meanwhile, another CBI team was seen conducting a separate operation near a multi-storied building at Pakurtala More in Siliguri, but details of that operation remain undisclosed.

Survi Paul, a legal advisor and a relative of Kundu who arrived at the scene after getting the information of the news said: “There are allegations of bribery against a government official. While the full details are still unclear, we are cooperating with the investigation in every possible way.”