CBI registers fresh cases in illegal mining scam

The CBI has registered fresh cases against two IAS officers in connection with an illegal mining scam in Uttar Pradesh and carried out searches at 12 locations in the state, officials said on Wednesday.

The agency conducted searches at the premises of 2007-batch IAS officer Abhay Singh, who is presently the district magistrate of Bulandshahr, and 2009-batch IAS officer Vivek, the mission director of Uttar Pradesh Skill Development Mission, after registering FIRs against them, they said.

Singh has been booked for alleged irregularities in granting mining licenses when he was the DM of Fatehpur while Vivek has been booked for such accusations during his tenure as the DM of Deoria.

Former minister Gayatri Prajapati is also named as an accused in one of the FIRs.

The searches are spread at 12 locations, including Bulandshahr, Lucknow, Fatehpur, Azamgarh, Allahabad, Noida, Gorakhpur, Deoria among others.

The officials said cash of around Rs 47 lakh was recovered from the premises of Singh while around Rs 10 lakh was recovered from the residence of Devi Sharan Upadhyay, then ADM of Deoria. He is presently posted as CDO in Azamgarh.

The agency also seized some documents related to properties from the premises of Vivek.