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Jaipur, Jun 7 (PTI): The Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau claimed to have uncovered a bribery racket with a seed company and Rajasthan State Seeds Corporation at the heart of the controversy.

State Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra, however, alleged that an extortion racket was being operated under the guise of raids conducted by Agriculture Minister Kirodi Meena.

The case involves an alleged racket in which officials and others allegedly accepted money to settle action initiated against a groundnut seed company accused of dealing in substandard or fake seeds.

An official from the bureau said that the company owned by Kiran Kapadia was facing action after authorities raided its warehouse, collected seed samples for testing, stopped the sale of its Gajraj-brand groundnut seeds and sealed the premises.

The bureau received a complaint that a bribe of about Rs 1.80 crore was paid to get the matter settled. The money was allegedly paid to influence official action, suppress the case, facilitate the return of the seed stock to Gujarat and help the company obtain favourable treatment, including clearance of seed samples and resumption of seed sales.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) alleged that around Rs 1.20 crore was received by Jugal Kishore Bishnoi, Director of the Rajasthan State Seeds Corporation, while another Rs 60 lakh was received by Ganpat Bishnoi.

Acting on a tip-off, ACB teams intercepted a bus near Lunkaransar and recovered Rs 85 lakh from Swatanra Bishnoi, nephew of Jugal Kishore Bishnoi. He was arrested on the spot.

Searches at the residence of Jugal Kishore Bishnoi led to the recovery of Rs 1.59 crore. The total cash seized in the case so far stands at Rs 2.44 crore.

Jugal Kishore Bishnoi, Kiran Kapadia, Ganpat Bishnoi, Sunil Setia and Satpal have been detained for questioning, while further investigation is underway.

According to preliminary findings, samples were collected during a raid conducted on May 27 and restrictions were imposed on the sale of the company's groundnut seeds.

It is alleged that in return for facilitating the return of seeds from the warehouse to Gujarat and influencing official action in the matter, approximately Rs 1.20 crore was received by Jugal Kishore Bishnoi, while another Rs 60 lakh was allegedly received by a person identified as Ganpat Bishnoi.

The ACB learned that around Rs 90 lakh from the alleged proceeds was being transported to Sri Ganganagar through Swatanra Bishnoi. ACB teams subsequently stopped the bus at Lunkaransar and recovered Rs 85 lakh during a search operation, according to officials.

Meanwhile, the case triggered a political controversy, with Dotasra alleging that an extortion racket was being operated under the guise of raids conducted by Agriculture Minister Kirodi Meena.

Dotasra claimed that the accused official had accompanied Meena during raids conducted in Bikaner, Sikar, Jodhpur, Bhilwara and Sri Ganganagar. He alleged that several crore rupees were extorted from traders and business establishments during such operations.

The Congress leader alleged that more than Rs 500 crore had been extorted through coercive actions and demanded a fair and impartial investigation into the matter.

Questioning the extent of the alleged corruption, Dotasra said that if officials associated with enforcement actions had the confidence to accept bribes running into crores of rupees, it was necessary to determine where the money ultimately reached and whether higher authorities were aware of the alleged activities.

He urged Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma to order a comprehensive probe and identify all individuals involved in the alleged corruption.

There was no immediate response from Meena regarding the allegations made by the Congress leader. PTI SDA PRK

(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)