Priyanka Tiwari
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Suspense crime, Digital Desk : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has launched a major probe into an alleged dredging scam at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), India's largest container port, causing a staggering loss of approximately ₹800 crore to the public exchequer. The investigation has triggered raids at the offices of prominent shipping and dredging companies in Mumbai and Chennai.
At the heart of the alleged scam is a sophisticated scheme involving the very process meant to keep the port's shipping channels clear. Dredging is the essential work of removing silt and sediment from the seabed. The CBI alleges that between 2012 and 2015, the contracted companies grossly inflated the amount of material they dredged and billed the port for work that was never done.
The CBI's First Information Report (FIR) names Mumbai-based Jaisu Shipping Company and its promoter, Dhiren Mulji, along with another major player, Mercator Ltd. The FIR accuses them of criminal conspiracy, cheating, and corruption.
According to the investigation, the companies manipulated a "hopper monitoring system"—a technology used to measure the volume of silt collected in a dredging vessel—to generate false data. These manipulated reports were then submitted with inflated invoices to JNPT officials. The probe suggests this massive fraud was only possible because certain port officials allegedly colluded with the firms, clearing these fraudulent bills without proper verification.
Acting on these allegations, CBI teams conducted extensive searches at the corporate offices and residences of the accused in Mumbai and Chennai, seizing documents and digital evidence crucial to the investigation.
This high-profile case highlights a potential nexus of corporate fraud and official corruption within one of the country's most critical infrastructure assets. The CBI's investigation will now focus on unraveling the full extent of the conspiracy and identifying all the public servants and private individuals involved in causing this immense financial loss to the nation.
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