The Wilson Garden police have registered an FIR against five BMTC officials for allegedly extending advertisement contract illegally to a private company for two years.
The fraud came to light, when the BMTC board, while considering the requisition of the advertisement company agreed to extend the one-year contract and checked the documents only to find that the company had already got two years’ extension without the knowledge of the authorities concerned. The document was handed over to the security and vigilance department for a detailed probe.
Contract ended in August 2022
Ramya C.K., Assistant security and vigilance officer of the BMTC, said Shiva Ads ( India) Private Limited had been given the contract to advertise on 1000 BMTC buses for five years in August 2017. The contract ended in August 2022 and the company requested the board to extend the contract for two more years. The requisition was brought before the board which after deliberation decided to extend the contract for one more year till September 2024.
Extension given without consent
As per the decision, the document was sent to the department concerned to initiate the process when it was found that the company already got an extension of two years. Further verification found that the extension was given without the consent of the higher officials.
The probe also revealed that the then Chief Traffic Manager (commercial) Sriram Mulkavan and his juniors identified as Shamala Muddodi, Mamatha B.K., Anitha T., and Gunasheela had allegedly colluded to forge the documents and changed the dates of the contract to accord the extension. This not only amounts to forgery, cheating, and criminal breach of trust but also incurs huge revenue loss to the corporation, the officials said.
The Wilson Garden police on Tuesday registered a case against the accused charging them under criminal breach of trust.
