CBI registers cases against Cotton Corporation officials

NEW DELHI: CBI has registered three cases against officials of the Cotton Corporation of India and Agricultural Marketing Committees of some districts in Andhra Pradesh for allegedly releasing payment to middlemen based on forged documents.

CBI sources said R Jeya Kumar, then Branch Manager of Cotton Corporation of India (CCI)in Guntur; Rayapati Purnachandra Rao, D Rajasekhar Reddy, G Varun Raghuveer -- all three cotton purchasers; and CCI centre in-charges of Guntur Nandigama and Mylavarama have been named in the cases.

"It was alleged that the accused persons procured 11.75 lakh quintals; 9.07 lakh quintals and 3.13 lakh quintals of cotton kapas on different occasions from middlemen instead of cotton growers or farmers at notified marketing yards of Agricultural Marketing Committees ( AMC) under Minimum Support Price operations during the crop season 2014-15," a CBI spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said it is alleged that the officers gave false consolidated certificates to the effect that the cotton kapas were purchased from bona fide farmers at the marketing yards of their respective AMCs.

"The Branch Manager, Cotton Corporation of India, Guntur, dishonestly released payment to the middlemen, based on the forged/false documents. A huge loss was caused to the Cotton Corporation of India," the spokesperson said.

The CBI spokesperson said searches were conducted at the residential and office premises of the accused persons at 18 places including Guntur, Krishna, West Godavari and Prakasam Districts in Andhra Pradesh and also in Tamil Nadu, which led to recovery of several incriminating documents.