Ahmedabad: An Export Inspection Agency officer from Vadodara has come under CBI scrutiny over an alleged bribe-for-clearance racket. The agency alleges that an EIA deputy director, consultants and private persons created a channel to collect money for certificates of origin. The FIR claims bribes were routed through bank accounts and some transfers matched the officer’s loan instalment dates. CBI is also probing whether certificates were issued without proper checks.The agency registered a case in the first week of June against Prakash Badiger, deputy director (technical) at EIA’s Vadodara sub-office, Mitul Naresh Jani, proprietor of Rudra Exim World, consultant Mehul Shah, and several other consultants and private persons. The FIR also names unidentified EIA officials and others.According to the FIR, CBI received source information that Badiger was demanding bribes from export consultants for issuing certificates of origin and other export-related clearances. Certificates of origin help exporters claim tariff benefits under trade agreements.Investigators allege Badiger asked consultants to send Import Export Code numbers and certificate details to a dedicated WhatsApp number. CBI claims this helped him calculate how much money had to be collected for each certificate.The agency alleges that bribe money first reached accounts operated by Mitul Jani and was then routed to Badiger and his family members. CBI says bank records show that transfers to Badiger’s SBI account often matched the due dates of his loan instalments.The FIR alleges that bribe money flowed through accounts operated by Jani before reaching Badiger and members of his family. Investigators claim bank records show transfers to Badiger’s SBI account often coincided with the due dates of his loan instalments.The CBI alleges that between Aug 2024 and Feb 2025, Badiger received Rs 4.07 lakh from Jani, while transfers worth over Rs 2 lakh reached accounts held by his wife and children. The agency also alleges that Badiger received an additional Rs 5.38 lakh through the same route between Aug 2024 and April 2025.The FIR names several consultants and exporters who allegedly transferred money into Jani’s account. They include Mitesh Trivedi, Sohag Thakar, Shubham Tanwar, Pritam Sawant, Yogesh Parkar, Rajni Malhar, Mahendra Durgawale and Shailendra Karanje.The agency alleges that Shah handled cash payments and coordinated with EIA officials over export certificates.CBI said the competent authority granted sanction under the Prevention of Corruption Act before the agency registered the case. The FIR invokes criminal conspiracy provisions and multiple sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.CBI sources said investigators are also checking whether officials issued certificates without proper verification. If proved, this may have allowed exporters to ship goods without required scrutiny, including consignments that may not have been permissible.The agency will now examine bank transactions, WhatsApp chats, digital records and the roles of EIA officials, consultants, exporters and other private intermediaries in the alleged export certification racket.
