The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested three men in an alleged bribery and information-leak case linked to a Rs 500-crore contract under which private defence manufacturer SMPP Limited was to supply ammunition to state-owned Munitions India Limited (MIL) over one year, The Hindu BusinessLine reported, citing the agency.
Source: The Hindu BusinessLine
Those arrested are Anil Kumar, Executive Director at MIL in Pune; Ashish Kansal, CEO and director-promoter of SMPP; and Kumar's brother B. Harshavardhan. The CBI registered its FIR on October 12 and made the arrests on October 13, according to reports of the agency's case. Kumar, a Level-14 officer, was suspended with effect from October 13, India Defence Wire reported.
According to the CBI's FIR, Kumar allegedly demanded and accepted bribes from private contractors and vendors while posted at MIL, in return for official favours and for sharing sensitive information about defence production, procurement and other strategically important activities. The agency alleged that Kansal stayed in regular contact with Kumar about the Rs 500-crore contract, and that an SMPP employee, Ravit Kumar Tewatia, was also in touch with the official. Tewatia and Kumar's wife Chetnashri are also named in the FIR, Defence Watch reported.
Source: Defence Watch
Rs 1.73 crore in cash from premises linked to Kumar in Pune, and about Rs 50 lakh more in cash plus documents from searches in Mysuru, Bengaluru and Delhi — about Rs 2.23 crore in cash in all, yaani over Rs 223 lakh.
In its FIR, the CBI said such unauthorised disclosure 'has the potential to compromise the nation's strategic and security interests, undermine the integrity of defence-related processes, and pose serious risks to national security and public safety.' The case has been registered under provisions including criminal conspiracy and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, according to reports citing CBI records.
The agency has alleged that a large payment was due to reach Kumar on October 12 and that he asked his brother to travel to Pune the next morning to collect and conceal the money; reports say a late-night hawala cash delivery first put investigators on the trail. A special CBI court in Pune remanded the three arrested men to agency custody for interrogation. The CBI is also examining other contracts handled by Kumar, according to India Defence Wire.
Source: India Defence Wire
Separately, officials familiar with the matter have indicated the Defence Ministry may suspend business dealings with SMPP under procurement rules, SSB Crack reported on October 16; no final decision has been announced. SMPP did not immediately react to the arrests, The Hindu BusinessLine said. Munitions India Limited, headquartered in Pune, is one of the defence public-sector companies created in 2021 when the Ordnance Factory Board was corporatised.
What is solid
- The CBI registered an FIR on October 12 and arrested MIL Executive Director Anil Kumar, his brother B. Harshavardhan and SMPP CEO Ashish Kansal on October 13, according to multiple reports of the agency's case.
- Searches recovered about Rs 2.23 crore in cash in total, including Rs 1.73 crore from premises linked to Kumar in Pune, the CBI said.
- The case centres on a one-year, Rs 500-crore ammunition supply contract awarded to SMPP by MIL.
What is only claimed
- The CBI alleges Kumar took bribes to leak sensitive defence procurement information and route money through family members — these are FIR allegations under investigation, not court findings, and the accused have not been held guilty by any court.