A significant corruption scandal has surfaced at the Mumbai Regional Office of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arresting four individuals in connection with a ₹25 lakh bribery case. The accused include a senior FCI official, a businessman, his son, and a business associate, who were taken into custody shortly after the cash exchanged hands.
The operation followed a complaint registered by the CBI on May 9, 2025, which named six individuals, including two Assistant General Managers (AGMs) of FCI, three private individuals, and an Aurangabad-based company. Investigators believe that one of the AGMs had colluded with a partner of the private firm to secure favourable tender outcomes for the businessman by circumventing the official procurement procedures of the FCI.
According to sources within the agency, the bribe was meant to influence tender awards within the Mumbai office. Acting on credible intelligence, CBI teams laid a trap and caught the FCI official red-handed while accepting ₹20 lakh from a representative of the private company. An additional ₹5 lakh, suspected to be part of the same bribery deal, was recovered from the businessman during follow-up searches.
Simultaneous raids were conducted at multiple premises across Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Aurangabad. During these operations, the CBI seized a range of digital devices, unaccounted cash, and documents believed to be critical to the ongoing investigation. These materials are expected to provide further insight into the extent of the conspiracy and the roles played by each accused party.
The arrests have brought fresh scrutiny to public sector tendering processes, particularly in essential service sectors such as food distribution and storage. This case has reignited calls for systemic reform and tighter controls to prevent abuse of power by those in key decision-making positions.
The four accused have been booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code. They are likely to be presented before a special court in Mumbai for custody proceedings. Meanwhile, the agency has not ruled out the possibility of further arrests as it expands its inquiry into related transactions and tender decisions made over recent months.
Share
Tweet
