New Delhi, May 29 (IANS): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday said that it has arrested four officials of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) in a bribery case and recovered cash to the tune of Rs 3.01 crore during searches.

A CBI spokesperson said that the agency arrested Harish Hinonia, Divisional Manager, Arun Shrivastava, Manager (Accounts), Mohan Parate, Manager (Security) and Kishore Meena, Assistant (Grade-I) of the FCI in Rs one lakh alleged bribery case.

The CBI official said that the agency sleuths conducted searches at six places in Bhopal at the official and residential premises of the accused.

"During searches, cash of Rs 3.01 crore, 387gms of gold jewellery and 670 gms of silver articles or jewellery and also certain documents were recovered.

The said cash amount was allegedly kept in different envelopes, some of the bundles marked or written with names, dates and amounts etc.

"Some cash amount was allegedly found in heavy safety vault or chest which was concealed in the wooden almirah. A Note Counting Machine was also found," the official said.

He said, "A diary was recovered containing the alleged records including cash amounts obtained, date, name, etc."

He said that a case was registered on a complaint against Shrivatsava posted as Manager (Accounts), FCI Divisional Office in Bhopal on the allegations of demanding bribe of Rs 1.5 lakh for releasing the pending bills of the complainant's company for January, February and March at Rs 50,000 per month.

It was also alleged that the accused demanded Rs 70,000 each for the new bills to be submitted.

"CBI laid a trap and caught the accused while demanding and accepting the bribe of Rs 1 lakh from the complainant," he said.