The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday booked two new companies — the Kolkata-based Vikash Metal & Power Ltd and Nagpur-based Grace Industries Ltd — in the alleged coal block allocation scam.
CBI said searches were being conducted in seven cities across the country including Nagpur, Chanderpur (Maharashtra); Kolkata, Asansol, Purulia (West Bengal) and Ghaziabad (UP), in the official and residential premises of the accused persons and their firms.
The First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered alleging Vikash Metal & Power and its Directors (Vimal Patni, Vikash Patni, Anand Patni, Virender Kumar Jain, Kailash Chander Jain, Vijay Kumar Jain, Anand Mallick) and Grace Industries (Mukesh Gupta and Seema Gupta) misrepresented facts and for false claims in the applications for coal blocks.
Vikash Metal & Power Ltd is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange. The company scrip touched a 52-week low of Rs 1.37 a piece on Friday. The stock closed at Rs 1.39 a share on the last trading day of the week.
“Promoters of one company are alleged to have sold their stakes after allocation of coal block,” CBI said in a statement.