CBI books retired IAS officer in illegal mining case in UP

New Delhi, Feb 2 The CBI said on Tuesday that it had registered a case against former IAS officer Satendra Singh, a former District Magistrate of Kaushambi, in connection with its probe into an illegal mining case in the district.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) also carried out searches at nine locations in Kaushambi and Lucknow. A CBI official said that during searches at Singh's premises, apart from Rs 10 lakh, documents of around 44 immovable properties, fixed deposits of Rs 51 lakh, 36 bank accounts in the name of the retired officer and his family members at Lucknow, Kanpur, Ghaziabad, and New Delhi, and keys of six lockers, were seized.

The official said that gold and silver jewellery valued at Rs 2.11 crore and Rs one lakh in old currency were found stashed in the lockers.

The CBI had booked Singh, then DM of Kaushambi, and nine private persons who are residents of Kaushambi and Prayagraj (Allahabad), and other unknown officials and persons in the case.

The CBI FIR alleged that during 2012-14, the then Kaushambi DM had awarded two fresh leases and also renewed nine existing leases to co-accused to facilitate illegal mining of minor minerals in the district without following e-tendering procedure as mentioned in the orders dated May 31, 2012 of the Uttar Pradesh government.

The illegal mining case was registered on Allahabad High Court orders in 2016.

( With inputs from IANS )