LUCKNOW: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered four FIRs against former Ordnance Equipment Factory (OEF), Hazratpur (Firozabad) officials, including former chief general manager Amit Singh, junior works manager Deepesh Gupta, Manoj Kumar, other unidentified officials and five private individuals, alleging they worked together to manipulate govt tenders and favour private firms through fake documents and illegal payments.The cases are based on three preliminary enquiries conducted by the agency into contracts awarded between 2022 and 2025, while a separate disproportionate assets case against Amit Singh had already been registered in Feb this year.According to the FIRs, CBI alleges that several private firms won contracts by submitting fake experience certificates, forged quotations and false documents despite not meeting the required technical qualifications.Investigators claim some factory officials helped these firms secure contracts in return for illegal benefits. The agency has booked the accused under sections related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and the Prevention of Corruption Act.One FIR focuses on M/s MSM Enterprises, which allegedly received contracts worth Rs 5.67 crore from OEF Hazratpur through civil works, GeM purchases, local purchases and cash purchases.During the enquiry, CBI found that Amit Singh allegedly changed the eligibility rules for civil work tenders in 2023-24 so that MSM Enterprises could qualify, even though the changes were against central vigilance commission guidelines. The original rules were restored the following year after the firm had already gained enough work experience by securing six civil contracts worth around Rs 1.75 crore.CBI further alleges that some contracts were awarded even though the firm’s documents were incomplete. Investigators also claim Amit Singh made false official notes to show that MSM Enterprises had the required work experience through another company, Dev Traders, which was allegedly being managed by Kapil Kumar Pandey.The enquiry also found that MSM Enterprises allegedly used a computer inside OEF Hazratpur to submit a GeM bid, something CBI says was confirmed through IP address analysis.Investigators further claim Deepesh Gupta arranged earnest money deposits for another bidder while large amounts of money were transferred from MSM Enterprises and its associates to Deepesh Gupta and Manoj Kumar.According to the FIR, Gupta allegedly received around Rs 38 lakh, while Manoj Kumar received more than Rs 21 lakh through different transactions. The enquiry also alleges Manoj Kumar booked flight tickets for Amit Singh and his wife for a trip to South Korea in 2023-24.Another FIR relates to M/s Aayush Enterprises and M/s Urban Wall. CBI alleges the two firms secured 29 local purchase contracts after submitting fake quotations. The enquiry found that both firms were controlled by Ajit Gautam through family members.Investigators allege the forged quotations were prepared on Amit Singh’s directions to ensure the contracts went to these firms. Deepesh Gupta is also accused of receiving Rs 3.77 lakh from Ajit Gautam and Bhavna Gautam and issuing work completion certificates in seven supply orders. The FIR further alleges Gupta was repeatedly appointed as a member of the local purchase committee by Amit Singh.The third FIR concerns M/s M Kay Industries, later renamed M Kay Hitech Pvt Ltd. CBI alleges the company won 17 contracts worth Rs 5.26 crore despite lacking the required experience and technical qualifications. During physical verification, investigators found no business activity at the company’s declared Faridabad address.In one contract for duffle trolley bags worth Rs 1.01 crore, CBI alleges OEF officials increased the purchase from raw material for 1,000 bags to 5,000 readymade bags without taking fresh approval from Troop Comforts Limited, the parent defence PSU.The agency says the tender was converted into a single bidder contract without proper justification. Although 5,000 bags were purchased, only 1,072 were issued, while 3,928 bags remained unused for nearly two years.During the enquiry, bank records also showed a transfer of Rs 3.40 lakh from M Kay Industries to Kanchan Singh, identified in the FIR as Amit Singh’s second wife. CBI says Amit Singh could not give a satisfactory explanation for the transaction.Meanwhile, CBI also registered an FIR against Amit Singh, factory tailor Raghunandan Sharma and private person Raj Kumar Mittal for allegedly allowing illegal construction near the defence establishment in exchange for a Rs 30 lakh bribe.According to the FIR, Mittal constructed a nearly 289 metre long and around 18 feet high concrete boundary wall just 20 feet from the factory, violating the mandatory 30 feet clear security zone under the Works of Defence Act, 1903.A joint inspection by CBI and Defence Ministry vigilance officials confirmed the violation.The agency alleged Mittal paid Rs 30 lakh to Amit Singh through Raghunandan Sharma in instalments to ensure no action was taken. The FIR also alleges Sharma demanded Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh from another landowner to permit similar construction.CBI has booked the accused for criminal conspiracy, destruction of evidence and corruption offences.Apart from these three corruption cases, CBI had on Feb 26 registered a separate FIR against Amit Singh for allegedly possessing disproportionate assets worth Rs 55.58 lakh, around 73.28% more than his known sources of income during his tenure at OEF Hazratpur.The fresh CBI action comes against the backdrop of earlier security controversies at the factory. In Feb 2025, a South African national working with a US based defence company allegedly made an unauthorised visit to the factory, raising security concerns.A few weeks later, the Uttar Pradesh Anti Terrorist Squad arrested OEF chargeman Ravindra Kumar for allegedly leaking classified defence documents to an ISI handler through his smartphone.
