NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday conducted searches at 14 places in Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram, Bangalore, Goa, Noida and Faridabad, both in Uttar Pradesh, after registering a case for irregularities in a Rs. 7 crore contract for supply of single and double puncture laparoscopes.

The case has been registered under Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with Section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code and 13(2) and 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (criminal misconduct) against the general manager (Procurement), the company secretary and DGM (Finance), the manager (Procurement), the assistant manager, (Accounts), and the biomedical engineer of Hindustan Latex Limited, Thiruvananthapuram; the consultant & head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi; a former professor and head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi; directors of a private pharmaceutical company, and officials of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The CBI alleged that the public servants had abused their official position in awarding the contract to the private firm in 2001 for supply of 350 laparoscopes. There were several irregularities and inconsistencies in evaluation and shortlisting of the bidders, for which the bid evaluation committee is accountable.

It was alleged that the technical members were changed to favour the private firm and an unsatisfactory report by a technical expert was suppressed. The firm was neither a manufacturer of laparoscopes, nor did it have the requisite experience.

The bid conditions were changed subsequently. The laparoscopes were substandard but accepted and supplied to different government hospitals, the CBI said.

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