Bokaro, April 12: A CBI team conducted simultaneous raids on offices and residence of a senior Bokaro Thermal Power Station (BTPS) official and also searched homes of his relatives in Ranchi and Ahmedabad today.

Led by DSP S.K Sinha, a seven-man CBI team fanned out around 10.30am and started search-and-seizure operations at the BTPS office and residence of Suman Kumar, additional chief accounts officer, for alleged funds embezzlement.

A senior CBI officer revealed that simultaneous raids were also conducted at Ranchi and Ahmedabad residences of Kumar’s relatives, but refused to divulge details.

On Tuesday, DVC’s chief vigilance officer had come down from Calcutta and questioned Kumar for over two hours.

Sinha confirmed the raids and said that the investigating agency had seized several documents but refused to give any further details.

On January 10, the CBI had filed FIRs against three BTPS engineers in connection with a multi-crore coal pilferage racket that was unearthed after a raid on the office and residence of superintending engineer B.D. Sah and executive engineers Rudra Sen and Rajiv Ranjan.

All three are suspected to be a part of the racket that involved fraudulent sale of over 40,000 tonne high quality coal by fudging figures an using fake bills.

Last year, on December 14, a nine-member CBI team from Dhanbad, accompanied by DVC vigilance officers and a coal surveyor, raided a BTPS coal yard and detected several discrepancies in stocks.

The team found the role of the BTPS accounts department questionable and pointed to a scam, possibly running into several crores of rupees.

Bokaro Steel

CBI officers raided the house and office of a senior manager of Bokaro Steel, A.K.P.Verma.

Verma, who is working in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) section, is facing a corruption case. CBI SP P.K. Manjhi confirmed the raids and added that several “incriminating” documents had been seized.