Scamster Maj Gen gets kidnapped; safe, says army

Maj Gen Anil Swaroop facing court of inquiry for Rs 100 cr scam in purchasing army equipments

The Noida police got an earth shattering call on Friday.

"A Major General rank officer of the Indian army has been kidnapped," they were told.

The building where Major Gen Swaroop used to stay in Sector 44, Noida

A police team rushed to the Sector 44 house of the army official but the family told them that Maj Gen (retd) Anil Swaroop has gone to Hardwar for some personal work.

Maj Gen Swaroop is facing a Court of Inquiry (CoI) for his involvement in the Rs 100 cr scam in purchase of equipments for army during his tenure as Additional Director General, Technical Store in Jabalpur during 2006-2008.

"We checked the matter thoroughly and there was nothing wrong. We later got to know that the officer is accused in some big scam in army," a senior Noida police official said.

He also informed that the Military Police officers visited Maj Gen Swaroop's residence the previous night in connection with the same case. "Probably he was questioned by military officials in connection to the scam. His wife also confessed that the military police have visited them thrice in the week."

But as soon as the news of a senior retired military officer being 'kidnapping' from Noida leaked, the Army Headquarter in Delhi came out with a clarification. "He is safe and well within our reach. Neither he has been kidnapped nor he is absconding," said an MoD official on condition of anonymity.

Though Indian Army is tightlipped about the actual nature of the scam, sources in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that Maj Gen Swaroop is accused of financial misappropriation in the purchase of basic military equipments and other things.
 
The officer also added that according to CoI report he is the only accused in the case. "Summary of Evidences would be produced in military court which will take final decision. He is among the very few high ranking officers to have undergone the process which can result into General Court Martial (GCM)," said the officer.

The case was detected soon after Maj Gen Anil Swaroop retired on July 31.