New Delhi, Sep 1 (IANS): A special CBI court in Indore has awarded four-year rigorous imprisonment to eight persons, including three then inspectors of Central Excise Department and then MD of a private company, for committing fraud that caused a loss of Rs 13 crore to the government department.

The court awarded jail term to three then inspectors of Central Excise & Customs, Indore -- Ashutosh Nath, Manoj Chandrawnshi and K.G. Sharma -- and five officials of Maikaal Fibers Ltd, including Mrigendra Jalan (then managing director), Deepak Nagar (then director), Abhijeet Sen Gupta (then AGM), Rajeev Dutta (then AGM) and B.L. Shrivastava (then officer, commercial department).

The court alsp imposed a fine of Rs 40,000 on each of them for causing huge loss to the government exchequer.

The CBI had registered the instant case in 2007 on the allegations that the public servants of the Central Excise Department, Indore division, and others entered into a conspiracy with the officials of Maikaal Fibers Ltd during the period 2003-2006 and facilitated the company in removal of excisable goods from its premises in the name of exports and diverted the same into domestic tariff area without payment of applicable duties.

An alleged loss to the tune of Rs 13 crore was caused to the Central Excise Department. After investigation, a charge sheet was filed against nine accused persons.

During trial, one accused persons died, and hence the court abated all charges against him.