The Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner and Assistant Labour Commissioner of Kochi were among four persons arrested by CBI for allegedly taking a bribe from an employee of a labour contract firm carrying out construction projects at IIM Kozhikode.
The arrests were effected following “reliable information” that Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner, Kochi, A K Pratap and Assistant Labour Commissioner, Kochi, D S Jhadav were “indulging in corrupt practises,” CBI officials said in Kochi on Thursday.
The Deputy Chief Commissioner is the monitoring authority to ensure minimum wage and other required amenities to labourers. CBI said that the two officials “entered into criminal conspiracy” to demand bribe from one P K Aneesh, Human Resource Manager of K K Builders, which is carrying out construction projects at IIM, Kozhikode.
The agency intercepted them yesterday while Aneesh was handing over Rs 25,000 to Pratap, an equal amount to Jadhav and Rs 10,000 to Labour Enforcement officer C P Sunil Kumar.
In addition to that, an amount of Rs 50,000 was also recovered from Pratap, the first accused, the officials said. CBI, which added Sunil Kumar and Aneesh as accused in the case, arrested all of them. They have been charged under various sections of IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act. CBI also carried out searches at the residential and official premises of the officers.